My Weakness and My Strength
by swong98
Summary: What if Lexa didn't die because Clarke saves her and together they make the world a better and peaceful place for all.
1. Chapter 1

Lexa opened her eyes to a strangely familiar sight and wondered if that was how the afterlife felt. She tried to think of previous experiences but the memories of Clarke came flooding to her instead. She remembered Clarke insisting that she fight on and rejected the notion of a new commander protecting her. She even remembered a kiss before everything turned dark on her. Even though she was prepared and ready to accept her death, she felt robbed of her chance to be with Clarke longer. She sensed a movement in the room and tried to get ready to react when she felt pain on her abdomen. She let out an involuntary groan that made whoever was in the room notice and approach her.

"Commander, you're awake," the female voice said moving next to her.

Lexa blinked to make out who it was and didn't need to see more than the blonde hair that was highlighted by the sunlight from her window to know who it was. She tried to speak but her throat was dry and only managed a croak.

"Don't move too much or you'll hurt yourself," Clarke said trying to make her more comfortable in bed.

Lexa felt Clarke's hand on her chin trying to help her drink when it was clear she was thirsty. "Thanks." She heard the voice but was baffled by it. She looked up at Clarke hoping to get an answer.

"What is it?" Clarke asked trying to determine what was wrong.

"What happened?" Lexa managed to ask.

"I was able to take out the bullet and stop the bleeding," Clarke revealed. "It wasn't easy because Titus kept getting in the way."

The realization that Clarke had saved her made Lexa's heart swell. She was so happy that she had a second chance with her beloved. She was about to thank her when Clarke stood up and walked away.

"I should go tell Titus that you're awake," Clarke said plainly. She took a few steps before collapsing to the floor.

"Clarke!" Lexa shouted struggling to get off the bed to get to her side.

"Commander!" a voice yelled from the door. Titus rushed to Lexa's side and lifted her back on to the bed.

"Help Clarke," Lexa ordered more concerned for her beloved than herself. She waited impatiently while Titus checked on Clarke. "How is she?"

"She will be fine," Titus replied. "She's just exhausted from watching over you. She refused to leave your side or let me relieve her."

"How long?" she asked inferring why Clarke did what she did.

"A week," he replied. "I told her to rest; I was afraid she would come to this but she is stubborn."

Lexa half-listened to Titus as she watched Clarke's sleeping form. She marveled at how persistent she was in saving her life. It was obvious that Clarke cared for her and she even dared to hope it was because of love.

"Commander," he called her attention. "Would you like something to eat?"

Lexa nodded as she realized she was hungry. She watched as Titus went towards the door and brought in a tray for her. She frowned when she saw the spread.

"Wanheda had insisted that you eat this while you were recovering," he revealed. "We can ask her if this can be changed."

"No, this will do for now," she replied not wanting to disturb her sleeping savior.

.

Clarke woke up with a start and saw that it was already nighttime. She tried to get her bearings and realized she was on Lexa's bed alone. Her alarm grew when she couldn't see anyone else in the candle-lit room. "Lexa!" She jumped out of bed ready to harm anyone who may have taken her away.

"In here," Lexa spoke from the adjoining room slowly walking back towards her.

"What are you doing?" Clarke demanded seeing Lexa's slow halting gait. "Why didn't you wake me up? You're still too weak to be moving about."

"And you're still too exhausted to be up already," Lexa pointed out but allowing Clarke to help her back to bed.

"I'm fine," Clarke said climbing into bed with Lexa. "Especially now that you're back."

"This has never happened before," Lexa said. "My spirit should have gone to the next commander. Why did you stop it?" She wasn't angry but needed to know why Clarke prevented it.

"I told you, I want you," Clarke said pulling Lexa's shirt up to see the wound. "Let me change this for you." She moved away to get new bindings.

"You don't believe that the next commander would protect you?" Lexa asked slightly disappointed that Clarke still didn't believe her. "I've made sure of that and even Titus would never harm you ever again." She remembered that much.

"I believe you," Clarke said replacing the bandage around Lexa's abdomen. "But my feelings for the new commander won't be the same."

"You have to trust and respect the next commander," Lexa said. "Just like all my subjects will once the next is chosen."

Clarke remained silent but continued her work on the bandages. She was quite glad that Lexa was healing fast.

"Clarke, you must try or the twelve clans will go against you and your people," Lexa explained hoping that she would accept it should anything happen to her again. "Promise me you will try to work with the next commander the same way."

"I can't because I love you," Clarke replied unable to hold back the tears any longer. They streamed down her face and glittered even in the softly lit room.

Lexa was stunned by the admission. She had hoped but still it caught her unprepared.

"For the sake of my people I will trust and respect but I will only love you," Clarke continued unashamed of showing her feelings. "I know you think 'love is weakness' but I'm not sorry I feel this way." She had been so focused on Lexa's recovery that only now has she allowed herself to deal with her feelings and it came all out.

"Don't be," Lexa said lifting her face to look into her eyes and wiping away the tears. "I was wrong; your love gives me the strength to fight on."

Clarke was glad to hear that and leaned in for a kiss. She moved closer and pulled away when Lexa groaned. "Sorry, I didn't mean to rush you."

"You're not," Lexa assured her leaning into her to remain close. She settled her head on Clarke's shoulder. "Titus said it had been a week. How did you manage to make him wait to release my spirit?"

"Is that what he was going to do?" Clarke asked knowing instinctively then that she had to keep him away without understanding what he was doing.

Lexa nodded. "It's protocol to set my spirit free so the conclave can begin."

"Well, that will have to wait," Clarke said firmly. She kissed the top of Lexa's head remembering how desperate she was to save Lexa. "You gave me strength to ward off Titus."

Lexa lifted her head to look into Clarke's eyes. She knew Clarke wasn't the kind of person who would placate her but needed to see the truth in her eyes nonetheless.

"I may be your weakness Lexa, but you're my strength," Clarke confessed. "I wasn't about to give up and let you die."

"But how did you know I wouldn't?" Lexa asked wondering what made her risk going against Titus.

"Because I felt your pulse and it was strong," Clarke revealed. "Titus wouldn't listen so Murphy and I restrained him."

Lexa listened with silent amusement. She imagined Titus seething while Clarke prevented him from doing his duty. She was glad she made him promise to never hurt Clarke ever again.

"He eventually gave me some time to help you heal," Clarke continued. "He said I had until the next full moon to get you well."

Lexa smiled realizing what Titus had done. "He invoked the 'Time of Reflection' since the 'Ascension Day' had been disrupted."

"Something like that," Clarke confirmed trying to remember what he actually said. She was too preoccupied with protecting Lexa to listen.

"What about the one you call Murphy? What happened to him?"

"Titus has agreed to leave him alone so I can tend to you," Clarke explained their compromise. "But we can talk about it more later. Right now, you need to rest to gain your strength back."

"You do, too," Lexa added seeing that she still looked tired.

Clarke nodded in agreement and settled into bed with Lexa beside her. "Sleep well commander."

"Sleep well ambassador."

.

Clarke woke up fully refreshed only to find herself once again alone on Lexa's bed. She groaned and wished Lexa would just take it easy for once. She knew Lexa didn't want to appear weak but given they were in seclusion she wished that she would allow herself to be pampered. After chastising herself for wanting Lexa to shirk off her responsibilities, she got up to find the commander in the adjoining room.

"You look much better," Lexa said when she saw Clarke.

"So do you," Clarke replied watching Lexa checking her healing wound. She reached out and ran her fingers across the scar developing on her torso. She was quite amazed at how quickly it was healing.

"I bear your mark now," Lexa said with a slight smile. "Wanheda has chosen not to let me die."

"Can we please talk about something else other than your death?" Clarke demanded wanting to forget how close she was to losing her.

"Do you know what Murphy was doing here?" Lexa asked changing the subject.

"I don't' know," Clarke admitted. "I'll ask him later when I see him."

"Is he a danger to you?" Lexa deduced that Titus had wanted to blame Murphy had he been successful in killing Clarke but wondered if she was in danger even without Titus.

"No, he won't hurt me," Clarke assured her. "He's here for something else and I'm going to find out what."

"Commander," Titus called out from the other room.

Lexa and Clarke went to meet him. They exchanged looks when Titus presented them with food and both concluded that he was trying to make amends.

"I hope this is acceptable," he said knowing that Clarke had been very strict as to what Lexa could eat.

"It's fine," Clarke accepted sensing that Lexa was ready for something more substantial. She could see the relief in both of them.

"Any word on the blockade?" Lexa asked getting back to business.

"There have been no incursions," he revealed. "However, Indra did follow Octavia to Arkadia."

Clarke was surprised by the news then felt a pang of remorse for not joining them.

"Good, you can leave us now," Lexa dismissed Titus after seeing Clarke's reaction. She studied Clarke carefully as he left.

"I should be there with them," Clarke said after hearing the door close. "Octavia must think I've turned my back on them."

"If she knows you as well as you know her, she should know that you have not," Lexa said. "She will understand that something compelled you to stay."

Clarke wished Lexa was right but Octavia's parting words worried her. "I'll go check on Murphy and find out why he's here." She didn't want Lexa to see her sadness further knowing that it would make her feel bad.

Lexa didn't stop Clarke knowing that she needed time.

.

Clarke found Murphy in her room as expected. She brought him some of the food Titus brought for her and Lexa. "How are you doing?"

"Better now that Lexa's man isn't beating me up," he replied.

"How did you end up with Titus anyway?" she asked with curiosity.

After taking a bite and gulping it down, he began telling Clarke what he had discovered while in captivity. "I think we both realized that the first commander was one of us and he doesn't want anyone to know."

"And you're sure of this?" she asked for confirmation.

"Their own historical drawings says so," he confirmed. "And they have this as the mark of their commander."

Clarke saw the symbol that she had seen on Lexa. She didn't know what to make of it but could see how Titus would want to suppress that information. "So he wanted to get rid of you by framing you for killing me."

"Let's get out of here before he finds another way," he begged. "While the commander is too weak to do us any harm."

"Who else knows about this?" she asked trying to understand what it all meant.

"Just the three of us now," he revealed. "Look, he's too concerned about his own neck right now to make a move but I think we should leave."

"No, I'll tell her what you've uncovered and we'll find out more from Titus," she said firmly. "Wait here and stay out of trouble."


	2. Chapter 2

Lexa decided to take time to gain her strength back by doing some sword practice. She imagined her most fearsome enemy and fought with him in the empty room. She was glad her agility and balance had not suffered from her injury. Even her senses were sharp that she sensed someone in the room and turned to see who it was.

Clarke stood transfixed both by awe at Lexa's grace in mock combat and by fear that she would hurt herself so soon after being gunned down by Titus. She held her breath as Lexa turned to face her.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that," Lexa warned. "My sword is sharp and it can hurt you."

"Then teach me how to fight like you," Clarke challenged knowing that Lexa needed the exercise. She picked up a wooden staff nearby.

"First lesson, you're holding it wrong," Lexa said in amusement. She walked over and stood behind Clarke to show her the proper way to handle the staff.

"Now what?" Clarke asked when Lexa walked back to face her.

"Now you try to hit me," Lexa said putting away her sword.

"I'm not going to hit you," Clarke said.

"You are if you want to learn to fight like me," Lexa said picking up a staff of her own. "Defend yourself." She didn't hesitate to strike Clarke who instinctively blocked her strike.

Clarke found herself sparring with Lexa with better than expected results. She hadn't realized she could do it although she suspected that Lexa was being careful with her.

"See, you're a natural at this," Lexa said after they had been at it for a while.

"Would you like me to show you how to fire a gun?" Clarke was surprised that she offered but decided it was a good exchange for Lexa's effort to train her. She picked up a discarded bottle and place it on a shelf to shoot at.

Lexa hesitated for a split second before agreeing. She looked at the gun that had recently harmed her and mustered enough courage to touch it.

"Aim it like this," Clarke instructed as she lifted Lexa's arm. "Then pull the trigger." She stepped away to let Lexa fire the shot.

Lexa paused and regarded the weapon in her hand before taking aim again and firing the shot. It shattered the bottle into pieces.

"Wow, you're a natural at this," Clarke said echoing Lexa's earlier comment.

They heard shuffling outside as the guards and Titus ran to where they were.

"Commander, are you alright?" Titus asked standing behind two hulking guards.

"I'm fine," Lexa replied casually. "Clarke and I were just sparring."

"But we heard one of the sky people's weapon," Titus said quite shaken by it still.

"It was nothing," Lexa dismissed and headed out without another word.

Clarke followed behind her hoping Titus didn't notice the shattered bottle.

.

Lexa returned to her room and found Clarke looking out into the distance of the night sky from the balcony. She knew what was bothering her and steeled herself for what was to come as she stood beside her.

"How are you feeling?" Clarke asked when she joined her.

"Better," Lexa said plainly. "What did you learn from Murphy?"

Clarke related what she had heard from him and what they hope to learn with Titus' help. "There must be something in the archives that could explain what happened. Perhaps we can learn something to help us move forward to co-existence."

Lexa considered what she learned and the implication of what they might find. She tried to understand why Titus didn't bring this to her attention early.

"Lexa, would you ask Titus to open up the archives to us?" Clarke asked when Lexa remained silent.

"Do you trust Murphy?" Lexa asked watching Clarke nod in reply. "We'll discuss it with Titus tomorrow. Is there anything else?" She could see Clarke struggle and gave her an opening.

"You know I have to go back to my people," Clarke said almost a whisper. "I have to help them realize they've made a mistake choosing Pike."

"How would you do that?" Lexa asked trying to see if Clarke had thought it through.

"I don't know yet," Clarke admitted. "But I have to do something."

"Perhaps the blockade will sway them to overthrow him," Lexa supposed.

"It's not that simple," Clarke said feeling helpless. "I have to convince them that you have avenged us for what the Ice Nation did to us on Mount Weather and that you're not planning to wipe us out."

Lexa knew that wouldn't be easy. "Do you think you can do that?"

Clarke looked at Lexa hoping for some reassurance that she could.

"Sometimes there are benefits to being able to command people," Lexa noted.

"You allow the ambassadors to vote," Clarke reminded her knowing what she was leading up to.

"But it has to be unanimous," Lexa countered. "If it's not then my command stands."

Clarke silently wished that was how they did things. "I just need to sway enough to shift the majority. I need to talk to Bellamy one more time."

"You said he took you prisoner," Lexa reminded her bristling slightly at the recollection. "I think he has made his choice and won't listen to you."

"He's just angry," Clarke defended him. "He thinks this is his best option to defend my people."

Lexa studied Clarke carefully trying to understand why she still believed she needed Bellamy to lead her people. She only had to give Clarke a questioning look that she understood.

"I still need him to make it right," Clarke tried to explain. "I know I can."

Lexa could see that Clarke was tired so she suggested she sleep on it. "You'll think of something in the morning." She took Clarke's hand and led her to bed.

.

Lexa looked at the door leading to Titus' domain and tried to recall the last time she had been there. It had certainly been a long time.

"Commander," Titus greeted her shuffling to meet her. "I hope everything is well." He hadn't expected the visit and knew he wasn't expected until much later. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"We came to talk to you," Lexa announced and entered the dimly lit room.

"We?" Titus looked worried as the two additional guests entered. He wasn't sure what Murphy had told Lexa and Clarke.

Murphy didn't hesitate and began showing what he had seen and explained what he thought they meant. "It's all here and I hope there's more."

Lexa turned to Titus and prompted him to answer with a questioning look.

"They are our most sacred treasures," Titus reasoned trying to dissuade Lexa from sharing them.

"It is probably time we learned more about them," Lexa explained the purpose of their visit.

"But no outsider has ever seen them," Titus objected. "And he intends to blaspheme our sacred beliefs."

"No, that's not our intention," Clarke defended their interest. "Murphy will be more careful this time." She gave Murphy a look that prompted him to confirm that he would be more respectful.

"He will spread lies about you," Titus insisted.

"No, he won't tell anyone except us what he finds out," Clarke tried to appease Titus.

"He will pay with his life if he speaks to anyone besides us about this," Lexa declared and looked directly at Murphy.

Clarke waited to see if Murphy would accept the terms to gain access to the archives.

"Who am I going to tell?" Murphy said indirectly. When he saw that he wasn't getting what he wanted he promised not to tell anyone outside the three of them.

Lexa nodded and Titus grudgingly led him to the library in the backroom.

"Did you spend time here?" Clarke asked looking around.

"When I was a novitiate," Lexa revealed remembering her time there again.

Clarke tried to imagine a younger Lexa studying under Titus' tutelage. "You must've been a good student."

Lexa looked at Clarke and smiled slightly. "Were you a good student?"

"I wanted to be like my mother," Clarke said. "I wanted to heal people."

Lexa was glad for that knowing that she would have died from her gunshot wound if it wasn't for Clarke's training.

"Clarke!" Murphy shouted from the other room.

Lexa and Clarke rushed to see what made him shout and found him looking at a box.

"Where did you get that?" Clarke asked recognizing it.

"Titus said it was from the first commander," Murphy said. "Do you know what this means?"

Lexa looked at the item with fond familiarity. She didn't recall Titus ever showing it to her so she was surprised at her reaction to it.

"Do you think it will still work after all these years?" Clarke wondered.

"We'll know if we can open it," Murphy said. "It has a biometric lock that we can't open."

Titus was glad to hear that and was about to reclaim the artifact when he heard Clarke come up with an idea.

"Maybe it'll open for the commander," Clarke suggested. "She must've known it will be opened by the next commander and done something to allow that." She turned to Lexa to see if she would try to open it.

Lexa hesitated but trusted Clarke and allowed her to place her hand on the box. Sure enough it opened and a hologram was projected that began speaking but they couldn't hear what was said.

"It must've been damaged," Murphy said looking at the box. "But she looks exactly like the woman in red."

"What woman?" Clarke and Lexa asked in unison.

"The one Chancellor Jaha has been talking to," Murphy revealed. "The one I've been trying to reach to take me to the City of Light."

"Commander, they want us to believe that the first commander was one of them," Titus complained.

"You said so yourself that no one has ever seen this," Clarke argued. "And look, it says commander on her suit."

Lexa studied the image and recognized it for some reason.

"I can fix the audio so we can hear what she is saying," Murphy offered. "I just need to take it back to Arkadia."

"The box stays here," Lexa said. "If you can fix it here then do so. Otherwise, this is over." She gave Titus a silent order with a nod of her head before leaving.

"How am I supposed to do that with no tools?" Murphy said in desperation looking around him.

"Try the best you can," Clarke suggested before running after Lexa.

.

Clarke found Lexa back in her room looking out into the distance. She approached and stood beside her. "How are you feeling?"

"How do you think I feel?" Lexa asked before turning to look at her. "What do you want Clarke?"

"You know he can't fix it here," Clarke said. "And this could be what we need to convince my people that you're on our side."

Lexa studied Clarke in silence. "And what will the twelve clans think? They already think I favor you as the thirteenth clan. Do you think they would allow me to lead if they believe me to be one of you?"

Clarke obviously hadn't considered that and apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't think of that."

"The alliance is still fragile, Clarke," Lexa reminded her. "They already question my decisions regarding your people so what do you think this discovery would do? I won't be able to protect you or your people if I lose command."

"You're right," Clarke agreed. "I was just so desperate to find a way to make my people see that we should be a part of your coalition." She walked away and sat down in defeat unable to think of a solution.

"Why did your people decide to come?" Lexa asked.

"Because the Ark was running out of oxygen," Clarke admitted. "We needed a new place to live."

"And did you plan to go to war for a place to live?"

Clarke was surprised by her line of questioning. "No, we didn't expect anyone to be alive."

"How would your people feel if you were here first and my people suddenly appeared wanting to take your lands?"

Clarke realized what she was getting at and understood what she had to do. "You've given me a great idea that I think might work."

"And what is that?"

"I'll offer them what they need most – a chance to live in peace," Clarke declared.

"When do you leave?" Lexa asked both happy that Clarke had a plan and fearful that she might fail. Either way, she knew she had to let Clarke try.

"Tonight," Clarke said. "I'll try to sneak in the way Octavia showed me."

"They might have blocked that path," Lexa challenged her notion.

"I'll find a way," Clarke said.

"Clarke!" Murphy shouted and barged into Lexa's room with Titus in hot pursuit. "The first commander came from the sky before her station was destroyed. Her name is Becca and she came to fix the problem."

"How do you know this?" Lexa asked knowing that he couldn't have possibly fixed the box.

"I read her lips," Murphy said proudly. "That's as far as I got so far. I need more time with the box but Titus is refusing to let me use it."

"He isn't fixing it," Titus warned. "How can we be sure that what he is saying is true?"

"Try to fix it," Clarke requested again. "That's the only way we can all know for sure. If I'm successful in my mission, I'll bring back some tools and even Raven to see if she can help."

Titus stiffened at the suggestion that another Skaikru would be tampering with the box. But then he picked up that Clarke was leaving and waited to hear more.

"Mission? What mission?" Murphy voiced the same question.

"I'm going back to Arkadia to try to win them over to the alliance," Clarke announced.

"There is a blockade," Titus reminded her.

"She may pass under my protection," Lexa ordered. "She will be escorted by three of my best soldiers."

Titus was surprised and wanted to challenge her but saw her stern unwavering look.

"Well, tell me what you need me to bring back," Clarke said leading Murphy out.

"Commander, this is not a good time to send away your soldiers," Titus warned. "You need protection more than ever."

"Do you wish to harm me again Titus?" Lexa asked.

"Of course not, commander," Titus said realizing he was still on thin ice with her. "I'll arrange for Wanheda's escorts."

"Titus, remember your promise," Lexa reminded him. "Neither you nor anyone you command will ever harm her."

Titus bowed before leaving the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Clarke returned to Lexa's room ready to leave. She had a heavy heart because she knew Lexa needed her, too.

"Your escorts are waiting for you," Lexa informed her. "And they have orders to kill anyone who tries to harm you."

"You don't have to do this," Clarke said knowing that she needed more protection than her. "You need them more than I do."

"How else can I be sure you get back to your people safely?" Lexa asked without hesitation.

"May we meet again," Clarke said and extended her arm.

Lexa took her arm in acceptance. "Take this. It has served me well and I hope it does the same for you." She handed Clarke her knife.

Clarke took it with gentleness that spoke words both of them understood. She unsheathed it and cut off a lock of her hair and handed it to Lexa. "That way a part of me is always with you."

Lexa accepted it and was still looking at it when Clarke hugged her.

"Promise me you will not go to war if anything happens to me," Clarke whispered in her ear.

Lexa pulled away and clenched her teeth. She knew she couldn't agree to that but with Clarke's pleading eyes she relented. "I won't go to war but I will kill whoever is responsible."

Clarke knew it was the best she would get and accepted. She turned to leave and didn't look back because she knew it would make her change her mind.

.

Clarke expected hulking soldiers to accompany her but instead she found three who looked like Lincoln. She smiled when she realized that Lexa had chosen them precisely so they wouldn't stand out when they got to Arkadia.

"Ready Wanheda," one of them asked mounting his horse.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied and mounted her own horse. "Try to keep up." She urged her horse and started heading home.

The three bodyguards exchanged looks before steering their horses after her. They all knew their order was not to let any harm fall on her so they had to catch up to her before anything did.

They raced through unobstructed until they got to the five mile border that was the start of the blockade.

"You may have a pass but what if they fire on us?" one of the soldiers asked.

"They're not going to fire on us because we're sneaking in," she told them and led the way to where Octavia took her. "If you tell anyone about this, I will kill you myself." She wasn't going to but felt the need to threaten them to keep the secret passage.

One of the bodyguards went ahead while the other two followed behind Clarke as they worked their way into Arkadia. After what seemed like an hour they reached the end and emerged inside the walls.

Clarke came out and met the barrel of a gun in her face.

"Welcome back traitor," a soldier greeted her while another pointed his gun at her bodyguard.

The second bodyguard was also held at gunpoint but the third lurked behind. Clarke saw him and signaled for him to go back. She was glad to see his eyes fade into the darkness.

The sentry guards waited to see if anyone else emerged but when no one came, they started moving their prisoners to meet with Pike.

"I need to talk to Bellamy," Clarke said hoping to see him first.

Before the guards could respond they were knocked out by Octavia and Indra.

Clarke turned and was relieved to see them.

"About time you got here," Octavia said. "What took you so long?"

Clarke was glad that Octavia wasn't upset that she missed their rendezvous. "Something came up." She wasn't about to tell her what happened to Lexa in front of the Grounders. She retrieved her gun and knife from the guard and looked expectantly at her rescuer.

"Come on, this way," Octavia motioned to their hiding place.

.

Lexa tried to carry on as if nothing had changed. She avoided looking at the vacant seat where Clarke had been only a few days ago.

"Commander, we should prepare for war," one suggested.

"They are probably doing the same," another agreed.

"Has there been any incursions?" Lexa asked. She heard silence from the room. "Then the blockade stands."

There was a little grumbling but the assembled were dismissed by Titus. He waited until they were alone before speaking with her.

"They are getting impatient," Titus noted. "You must resolve this quickly."

"It takes as long as it takes," she told him. "Clarke will return with her people's vote to be part of my coalition."

"And if she doesn't?" he asked pessimistically.

"Clarke has been in worse situations and prevailed," she reminded him. "I have faith in her. If it wasn't for her, I would have been ousted as commander." She chose not to mention her own recent brush with death from Titus' hand.

Titus had to admit that was a good move by Lexa. "And what about Murphy?" He decided to change the subject to avoid antagonizing her further.

"Teach him our ways," she suggested. "Perhaps that would help him understand our culture and make him appreciate and respect it."

Titus found the challenge quite acceptable and nodded him acceptance.

.

Clarke approached Octavia who was standing watch. "Sorry I'm late." She tried to gauge her friend's anger towards her.

"You're more than just late," Octavia said. "They're executing Kane tomorrow. You could have helped me prevent that. What was so important that you stayed in Polis?"

Clarke felt guilty for not being there sooner but knew she made the right choice. "Lexa was shot." It was barely a whisper that Octavia almost didn't hear it.

"How did she get shot?" Octavia asked in surprise. "You didn't try to kill her did you?" She knew that Clarke cared deeply for Lexa so it didn't make sense.

"No, I didn't," Clarke said. "But I had to stay to save her. I had to make sure she survived or we have no chance of preventing a war."

"After tomorrow, that might not even matter anymore," Octavia said. "Pike is planning to breach the blockade soon to expand Arkadia."

"Where's my mom?" Clarke ventured to ask. "Is she alright?"

"She's saying goodbye to Kane," Octavia revealed. "She'll be alright."

"I need to see Bellamy," Clarke said deciding it was time to get her plan into motion.

"He's not going to listen," Octavia said. "I tried talking to him and it did no good. He's just as crazy as Pike now."

Clarke reconsidered her plan and decided she would do it alone. "Then it's time Wanheda took a stand."

.

Lexa heard movement outside her door and instinctively reached for her knife only to realize that she had given it to Clarke. So instead she reached for her sword ready to fight.

"Commander," Titus announced himself. "Are you awake?"

It was barely dawn but Lexa was so she called him in.

"I'm sorry to disturb your rest," he said apologetically. "But one of Wanheda's escorts have returned."

Lexa was alarmed but remained calm outside. "Bring him here." She waited as the soldier walked in.

The soldier bowed in front of her quite frightened by what she might do as he related how his comrades and Clarke were captured.

"Is she dead?" Lexa asked showing no emotions.

"I don't know commander," he replied. "Wanheda signaled for me to leave."

Lexa approached and towered over him. "If she is dead, your fight is also over. Guards, lock him up."

Titus watched as the guards dragged the soldier away. "Shouldn't you send him with a contingent to rescue her?" He still thought that war was the only way to deal with the Sky People.

"You assume that she is dead," she said studying him closely.

"It is a possibility," he replied. "Her people may think she is a traitor and do what we do with traitors."

Lexa considered it especially knowing that Bellamy had taken her prisoner before. "I still have faith in Clarke. Until I hear otherwise, my current order stands."

"As you wish Lexa," he said and left her.

Lexa walked over to her bed and lifted the lock of hair Clarke had given her. She recalled Clarke's ominous last words and the promise she made. She didn't know how but somehow knew Clarke was still alive.

.

Clarke climbed the watch tower with Octavia and they easily overpowered the guard. Her bodyguards stayed below to keep their position secure.

"I guess it's a good thing Lexa sent them," Octavia said.

"Stay focused," Clarke said watching as the guards brought Kane out to be executed. She barely listened to Pike as he announced what was about to happened and fired at his feet.

"Up there," the guards shouted.

"I don't want to kill you," Clarke shouted. "I just want to talk to everyone."

"You have no right here anymore," Pike shouted back. "You've betrayed all of us as well."

"No I haven't and you know it," she shouted back. "You've always taught us to respect the Earth and yet you are the first to break that rule."

"This is our land now," he shouted back. "The Grounders have no right here."

"Yes, they do! They were here before us and we came without asking. How would all of you feel if our roles were reversed? We claim they are savages and yet here we are trying to execute our own and taking lands by force. You once told us that natural resources need to be cherished and shared. Lexa has offered to share by making us the thirteenth clan."

"She did that to control us," he countered. "She isn't about to share her lands."

"You're wrong, she will," she said. "She has proven that she is willing to take the first step to peaceful co-existence even if we killed her people."

"Bellamy," Octavia said before getting knocked out by her brother.

Bellamy held Clarke at gunpoint and led her down from the watch tower. He brought her in front of Pike.

"She's lying to you," Pike said. "She's put up a blockade to starve us to death."

"No, she's put it up to keep the clans from wiping us out," she countered. "If we are the thirteenth clan, we have a voice in the coalition. If we continue this war, we don't stand a chance even with all our bullets. There are too many of them and we're surrounded."

"And what makes you think she would listen to us," Pike demanded. "They killed our people."

"And we killed theirs," she reminded him. "It's an endless cycle and all we ever wanted was to find a place to live. We didn't return to fight a war. We came to survive."

"Enough! You are just as guilty as Kane and should be executed!"

"No!" Bellamy shouted. "No more killing our own people." He raised his gun towards Pike.

"Put the gun down," Pike ordered. He heard his men raise their guns towards Bellamy and felt confident he was safe.

"What, you'll kill us because we want a better life?" Clarke asked looking at the people around them. She sensed that they were now realizing that it made sense to join the coalition than be against it.

"Arrest them," Pike ordered his men deciding it was better to throw them in prison. He repeated his order when none of his men made a move. He drew his gun and leveled it at Bellamy's head when it was shot out of his hand.

Clarke looked up at the watch tower and saw a revived Octavia training her weapon at Pike.

"I'm afraid your reign is over," Clarke announced while Bellamy handcuffed him.

.

Lexa watched as the novitiates trained preferring not to engage herself. She knew she would be too distracted to fight well.

Titus approached and stood beside her.

"Any word?" she asked him.

"No, there have been no signs of whether Clarke is alive or dead," he said. "Perhaps it is time …"

"She will succeed," she said plainly. "How is your training of Murphy?"

"He is stubborn," he said, glad for the change in subject.

"There was a time you thought I was stubborn for keeping Costia," she reminded him. "It didn't stop you from trying to teach me that lesson."

"And you still haven't learned it," he noted sadly.

Lexa chose not to reply. Instead she decided to engage Aden in mock battle to prove to Titus that she was still in charge. She was particularly tougher now thinking of what she would do if indeed Clarke was dead.

Titus could clearly see a change in Lexa. He wondered if he was wrong in his assessment of Clarke and her influence on the young commander. After the training he quickly dismissed the novitiates and led them back while Lexa stayed behind.

Lexa pulled out the lock of Clarke's hair she carried with her and looked towards the general direction of Arkadia. She hoped that Clarke was alright and that the remaining two bodyguards were protecting her like she had ordered them to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Clarke held on to Lexa's knife and tried to think what she would do next. She knew that they had to bring Pike to Polis but knew the clans would demand his death.

"They're ready for you," Octavia said when she found her.

"How're my bodyguards?" Clarke asked having seen them knocked out during their stand-off.

"They'll survive," Octavia said. "Bellamy didn't hurt them too badly. But the council is ready to hear what you plan to do next."

Clarke nodded and followed her into the room where her mom, Kane and others were assembled.

"We can't just give him to them; they'll kill him," Bellamy argued.

"It is what Lexa demands of us to be welcomed back as the thirteenth clan," Kane said. "It is the price we have to pay for peace."

"What if we kept him as a prisoner here," Bellamy suggested fearing that Lexa may not be content with just Pike's head.

"She won't accept that," Clarke said from behind him. "We must take him to Polis."

"Clarke, is there a way for you to convince her not to kill him?" Abby asked.

"I know she won't," Clarke spoke for Lexa.

"That's impossible," Indra interjected having been invited to attend their council meeting by Octavia.

"It is possible," Clarke countered. "She allowed Emerson to live."

"She had Emerson?" Bellamy asked wondering when that happened.

"Yes, the Ice Nation had him which is how they knew about the kill switch on Mount Weather. King Roan sent him to Lexa as a sign of his fealty to her. She didn't kill him; only banished him from her lands."

"How do we know she'll do the same now?" Bellamy asked still not convinced.

"I know she will," Clarke said confidently. "You have to trust me."

With that agreed upon, Kane assembled a group to head to Polis immediately and Clarke sent one of her bodyguards ahead to let Lexa know they were coming. Outside the gates of Arkadia, Pike tried to make a run for it but Clarke nailed him with her knife.

"Try running again and I'll aim for your heart," Clarke warned him pulling the knife from his lower leg.

Abby was surprised out how ready Clarke was to kill as she tended to Pike's wound. She wondered if Lexa had unduly hardened her. "You didn't hesitate," she noted when they were far away from anyone's earshot.

"If I waver, more people will die," Clarke said. "This isn't Lexa talking. It's me and I have to do what's best for our people." She knew what her mom was thinking and wanted her to realize it was for the best.

"You can't agree to this," Pike said when Bellamy came over to offer him food and check on him. "Will you just let Lexa kill me for defending our people?"

"I won't," Bellamy said. "If she kills you, I'll kill her." He saw Pike relax a bit and knew he was ready for whatever happens in Polis.

.

Lexa was holding court when the doors opened and revealed one of the soldiers she sent to protect Clarke. She braced herself for the news he was about to give. "What news do you bring?"

"Skaikru approaches with their ousted leader," he announced. "Wanheda has succeeded in her mission."

Lexa could hear the amazed chatter among her new ambassadors. "Send riders to escort them safely here." She watched as her order was executed.

"Go quickly," Titus added knowing that there still might be danger to Clarke and that he might be blamed for it.

Lexa turned to look at him with a proud look that spoke volumes. She was right in placing her faith in Clarke.

"Once again Clarke has beat the odds," Titus said when they were alone.

"She is stronger than you think," she told him.

"She is strong because you make her so," he said. "Have you considered what punishment to impose on Skaikru?"

"A clan shouldn't be punished for the act of one man," she replied. "I will deal with Pike when he is brought before me."

"But," he started to object until he saw Lexa raise her hand. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, you can leave now," she said. She turned towards the balcony and pulled out the lock of hair she now carried religiously. She smiled and looked forward to seeing the person who gave it to her soon.

.

Clarke stood on one side of the room with her people facing the twelve new ambassadors of the alliance. She wondered if they were like their predecessors and what they would demand now that they wanted to rejoin the alliance. She had hoped to have a word with Lexa before the assembly but their escorts have ushered them directly there.

"Do you think Lexa has changed her mind?" Octavia asked standing beside Clarke. "They don't look happy to see us."

"I told you they can't be trusted," Pike said angrily.

"Shut up or I'll put a gag on your mouth," Clarke warned. "It doesn't matter how they look; what matters is what Lexa says."

Pike turned to look at Bellamy who revealed the gun he hid and nodded.

The doors suddenly swung open and Lexa walked in towards her throne and took her place. She watched as everyone knelt down except Pike who had to be pushed down by a guard. She saw Bellamy among the Skaikru contingent and frowned.

"Skaikru, present your case," Titus announced to start them off.

Clarke walked towards the center while the guard brought Pike along. "We have ousted Pike and restored order in Arkadia. Kane will be the interim chancellor until another vote is held."

"Is he the only one guilty for the massacre of my people?" Lexa asked.

"Yes, he ordered the attack on the soldiers you sent to protect us from the Ice Nation," Clarke confirmed. "He alone is responsible like Queen Nia was while the others were only following orders." She could see anger in Lexa's eyes and hoped that it didn't mean she was bent on killing Pike.

"What do you have to say?" Lexa asked looking at Pike directly.

"I did it to defend my people," he said defiantly that made the ambassadors on the other side raise complaints.

"They were not attacking your people; they were defending them," Titus proclaimed. "You killed them without provocation."

"What do you call the attack on Mount Weather?" Pike challenged.

"That was the Ice Nation," Titus corrected him.

"Aren't they your people?" Pike asked wryly.

"Yes, and they have been dealt with," Lexa said. "A new king leads them now just as a new chancellor will be placed in yours. Anyone who acts against another in my coalition will be dealt with the same way."

Clarke didn't like that pronouncement knowing just how Lexa dealt with Queen Nia. "He made a mistake, he didn't know that they were there to protect us." She hoped that would sway Lexa to opt for leniency.

Lexa looked at Clarke and knew exactly what she was doing. "A mistake that killed 299 of my people."

People on the other side of the aisle voiced their agreement with Lexa. The Skaikru contingent began to feel uneasy.

"We've all made mistakes," Clarke said. "It's time to correct them and stop going to war. 'Blood must not have blood.'"

Everyone waited with abated breath as Lexa stood and looked to be ready to give her decision. Bellamy reached for his gun and readied himself to take the shot.

"Clarke is right. We all do not want to have another war and this is not enough reason to do so. Pike will be punished for his crime; a year in prison for each soldier he killed. He will be held here in Polis until his sentence is over."

The assembled people all had mixed reactions but in the end Lexa's word was the law and Titus declared the assembly over when Lexa nodded to him. She marched out after Pike was dragged out by her soldiers.

"Is that it? What happens now?" Octavia asked Clarke a bit confused by what just happened.

"Do you think Lexa doesn't want us to be the thirteenth clan anymore?" Abby asked her. "We did what she asked for."

"I'll find out," Clarke said. "Wait in my room." She gave Octavia a silent request and left to catch up with Lexa.

.

Lexa had just entered her room when Clarke knocked at her door. She turned and waited for her to enter.

"I thought I should return this to you," Clarke began handing her knife back to her.

"Did it serve you well?" Lexa asked and saw Clarke nod. "Then keep it." She saw Clarke smile in appreciation as she tucked it away.

"Thank you for not sentencing him to death," Clarke said. "I know that wasn't easy for you but you've shown my people including Pike that you are serious about peace."

Lexa nodded slightly to confirm her commitment to it. "What about his followers?"

"You mean those like Bellamy?" Clarke asked figuring out she was concerned about his loyalty. "They can be trusted to keep the alliance."

"And you trust that they won't change their minds again?" Lexa asked seemingly distrustful of their steadfastness.

"I believe they won't when they hear about what you've done here today," Clarke assured her. "Action speaks louder than words."

"I hope you're right," Lexa said and turned to pick up a parchment on her table. "Give this to your new chancellor."

Clarke unrolled it and looked at what it contained. She was surprised with what she held in her hands. "When did you do this?"

"When I asked you to join my coalition," Lexa revealed. "Did you think I didn't know what your people needed?"

"So you still want my people to be the thirteenth clan?" Clarke asked for confirmation. "You didn't mention it earlier; I was afraid you've withdrawn the offer."

Lexa seemed angry that Clarke had little faith in her. "That will be discussed at sundown."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Clarke apologized realizing what Lexa had intended all along.

"So the land is sufficient?" Lexa asked allowing her anger to subside.

"It's very generous," Clarke said. "My people will be grateful for this." She was, too, and pulled Lexa in for a kiss.

Lexa pulled away slightly to avoid it. "I didn't do that for this."

"I know," Clarke said. "Which makes it even better." She once again pulled Lexa in for a kiss and succeeded this time.

Lexa was enjoying the kiss when she felt Clarke pull away. She opened her eyes and looked at her questioningly.

"If you had this planned all along, why didn't you tell me?"

"What would you have thought if I had told you this while you were still angry with me?" Lexa watched as Clarke realized the same thing she did.

"So when you said you would treat my needs as yours, you meant it." She walked towards the bed subconsciously as she pondered on that thought.

"I don't take that promise lightly," Lexa declared. "Neither would the next commander."

Clarke was glad for the reassurance but preferred Lexa's continued leadership. "You could have told me when I went back to Arkadia."

"And how would that have helped you? It would only have created suspicions among your people of your true intentions."

"You think of everything don't you?"

"Not everything," Lexa admitted walking towards her. "You still surprise me at every turn." She moved to reclaim Clarke's lips for a kiss.

Clarke began to take off Lexa's outer garment when she found the lock of her hair tucked in it. "Did it serve you well?"

Lexa chose not to reply but instead pivoted to get Clarke into her bed.

.

Clarke's room became a waiting room for her four companions while she was with Lexa.

"Will you stop pacing," Octavia said watching Bellamy go back and forth the umpteenth time since they arrived.

"What's taking her so long?" he replied. "This doesn't feel good. We shouldn't have come."

"How else were we supposed to make Lexa lift the blockade?" she asked her impatient brother. "Besides, Clarke and Lexa probably need to catch up."

"On what?" he asked knowing they haven't been apart too long like he'd been with Clarke. "Something's not right."

"She'll be fine; Lexa won't hurt her," she assured him. "When were you planning to use that?" She tugged at his shirt to reveal a hidden gun.

Bellamy tucked his shirt back and didn't answer her.

"You didn't seriously think you could kill Lexa and get out of there alive."

"We can take them all out," he said confidently.

"And bring all the armies of the twelve clans down on us," she countered. "The only one standing between us and them is Lexa and only because she listens to Clarke. I thought you agreed with Clarke's plan."

"But I didn't agree to let Pike be killed," he said.

"He's not going to be just as Clarke said," she reminded him. "So unless you want to end up a prisoner like him, I think you should keep that hidden."

Before he could answer, the door opened and in came Titus.

"The commander has invited you to a gathering at sundown," he announced casually.

"Did she mention what the gathering is for?" Kane asked.

"No," Titus replied. "The commander will let us know then." As quickly as he came in, so was he gone.

"I think we should leave," Bellamy suggested.

"That would be disrespectful," Kane said. "Let's at least wait until Clarke returns."

Bellamy looked about ready to run but then decided that he could at least wait for Clarke. And this time he resolved not to leave her behind.


	5. Chapter 5

Lexa watched Clarke as she lay beside her. She listened to her breathe and tried to etch her face in her mind. She smiled when Clarke turned to look at her.

"What's on your mind Lexa?" Clarke tried to read Lexa's face. "Are you still worried that my people will change their minds?"

"I always worry about my people," Lexa admitted. "And that includes yours now."

"Just so we're clear, you're lifting the kill order on all my people and removing the blockade right?" Clarke knew the answer but couldn't help asking for clarity.

"It's already been lifted and removed," Lexa confirmed lifting her head on a bent arm.

Clarke followed suit to be able to look at Lexa on the same level. "Can I help you with anything else?"

Lexa smiled slightly. "You've already helped me enough. You've shown me that life is more than just surviving."

Clarke smiled back and kissed her. "Doesn't it feel good that no one died? By the way, what happened to my third bodyguard?"

"It's almost sundown," Lexa said changing the subject and getting up. "You should prepare for the gathering."

"Lexa, tell me you didn't kill him," Clarke said getting up after her. "Please, he didn't deserve to be killed. I didn't want him to get caught with us."

Lexa continued to get dressed without a word.

"Lexa," Clarke said reaching for her when she turned to walk away.

"He is not your concern," Lexa said dismissively.

"Yes he is," Clarke insisted standing to face Lexa. "He did what I wanted him to; I'm responsible for his action."

"Why do you care for him?" Lexa asked studying Clarke carefully. "He isn't one of your people."

"Because I'm learning to care about yours," Clarke admitted catching Lexa try to hide a smile.

"He's alive; he's in the dungeon where he belongs for disobeying my direct order," Lexa revealed.

"Will you please set him free? He was just following my order," Clarke said in his defense.

"I can't do that," Lexa replied. "But you can." She gave Clarke the authority to do so. She motioned for Clarke to follow her.

Clarke quickly got dressed and followed Lexa to the dungeon. She watched as soldiers stood in attention when Lexa strode in and approached the cell where her bodyguard was. She saw that he had been beaten up but Lexa looked unapologetic about it.

"Wanheda has decided to give you a second chance," Lexa began seeing fear in the man's eyes. "But if you fail me again, your fight will be over."

"Thank you commander," the man said glad to be alive. "I vow to protect Wanheda with my life as you commanded." He looked up to Clarke to show his appreciation before limping out.

"Thank you," Clarke said in appreciation.

"I only did that because now he is ready to die for you," Lexa said before leaving the cell.

.

Clarke returned to her room and found her anxious mom and friends.

"Are you alright?" Abby asked taking a quick look to ensure she was.

"I'm fine, mom," Clarke assured her. "Lexa wanted me to give you this." She handed the parchment paper to Kane.

"Is she really doing this?" Kane asked for confirmation. He felt Bellamy and Octavia flank him to see what he was looking at.

"This is more than we asked for," Abby said when she took a look.

"This could be a trap," Bellamy said warily.

"She didn't kill Pike; she's giving us the land we need; what else do you want from her?" Clarke asked harshly a bit upset by his reaction.

"She can leave us alone," he replied with disdain.

"We can't survive without her help," Clarke reminded him.

"We did just fine before she tried to force us to join her coalition," he hissed.

"For how long do you think we can survive on our own?" Clarke asked getting angrier by the minute.

"We should try and see how this all works," Kane suggested trying to calm them both down. "I think she means well and we can benefit from that."

Bellamy turned away steaming wondering why Clarke couldn't see Lexa's manipulation of her.

"Give him time," Octavia whispered to Clarke. "He still hasn't forgiven Lexa for Mount Weather."

"And yet Lexa had forgiven him for the latest attack," Clarke countered. She wished he could see Lexa the way she did. She knew it was up to her to turn him around so she walked towards him.

"Why do you still trust her?" Bellamy asked when he noticed her beside him. "She will always protect her people first."

"Because I know I can trust her," Clarke replied. "And now that we are her people, she is bound to protect us. She's taken steps to prove that. Won't you give her a chance?"

Before he could respond, the door opened and Murphy barged in.

"I heard you were back," Murphy said. "Please talk to Lexa and convince her to let us take the box back to Arkadia."

Clarke pulled him aside quickly and warned him to keep his voice down. "You promised not to tell anyone about that."

"They don't know what I'm talking about," he whispered back. "But I think we really need to hear what was being said by that hologram. It might tell us if the 'City of Light' really exists and how to get there."

"I brought you some of the tools that you asked for," she told him pointing out the bag she brought for him. "Try the best you can with them but try not to make waves until things have settled down. There's a lot going on right now and we need to make sure Arkadia is safe first."

Murphy looked back at the others in the room and agreed reluctantly. "Fine. But if I get sick of Titus' teachings, you will have to do something."

Clarke was taken aback by that news. "He's teaching you?"

"Everything about the Grounders," he revealed. "It's almost like he's turning me into him."

Clarke couldn't suppress a chuckle that caught the attention of the others. She gave Murphy one warning look before heading back to the others.

"It's almost sundown, we should get ready," Kane said when Clarke rejoined them. "Do you know where the ambassadors stand on this offer?"

"I don't," Clarke admitted. "They're all new and I don't know them."

"Do you know why she replaced the old ones?" Abby asked suddenly worried Clarke might be in danger.

"No, it didn't come up," Clarke said confident that Lexa had a good reason to revamp her council.

"It didn't come up?" Bellamy asked. "What did you two talk about?"

Clarke gave Bellamy a glare that made him stop asking further questions.

.

Lexa arrived at sundown and greeted the assembled especially the Skaikru delegates. "We welcome back the thirteenth clan to our alliance."

"We thank you for the privilege," Kane said on his people's behalf.

Lexa looked at Clarke and gave her a subtle nod. "Who will be your ambassador?" She knew the obvious choice but had to make it official.

"I will," Clarke replied without hesitation catching the subtlest of smile on Lexa's lips.

"Clarke, are you sure you want to do this?" Bellamy asked in a whisper realizing he wasn't going to get her to return to Arkadia once again.

"I have to represent Arkadia's interests here," she replied. "I need to do this."

"She already knows what we want," he insisted hoping to convince her to return with them. "There's nothing more for you to do here."

"Every clan has a representative here," she continued to justify her decision. "It would be an affront not only to Lexa but to them if we don't have someone here."

"Clarke," Lexa called her attention wondering what the two was discussing in private. "Perhaps you can share something about your culture with us. It is customary."

Clarke wondered what she could do that would impress the others. She heard Bellamy whisper something but didn't catch it until she heard Octavia start to hum something.

"May I have this dance," Bellamy asked and pulled Clarke to the center of the room.

"What are you doing?" Clarke asked.

"Showing them something about our culture," he replied with a grin.

Lexa watched intently as Bellamy led Clarke in a dance that intrigued her. She noticed Kane and Abby join in but mostly watched Clarke as she danced.

.

Clarke escorted everyone to their respective rooms before heading to Lexa's room. She found Lexa seated and waiting for her.

"Did they like their rooms?" Lexa asked getting the confirmation she needed. "Why didn't you give your mother your room?"

"Because she'd want me to sleep in it," Clarke replied sitting next to Lexa. "And I would rather sleep here."

Lexa smiled and let Clarke rest her head against her shoulder. "That dance, do you do it often?"

"Mostly during celebrations," Clarke said. "Or just when we feel like it. Do you want me to teach you how?" She got up and extended her hand in invitation.

Lexa stood up and took her hand. She watched as Clarke showed her the steps. She joined Clarke and hummed with her.

"You remember the tune," Clarke said amazed by her memory.

"You seem surprised," Lexa said. "It's not that hard."

"Alright, let's see if you remember the steps," Clarke challenged as they took their first steps together. She was quite impressed that Lexa did very well but lost her own concentration that she took a misstep that made her fall backwards. She felt herself falling but then strong hands caught her by the waist to prevent her from hitting the floor. She held on to Lexa's shoulders as she was lifted back upright.

"I don't recall that step," Lexa said stopping the dance.

"That's because you just made me fall for you," Clarke teased tapping the tip of Lexa's nose.

Lexa gave Clarke a curious look but couldn't pretend ignorance for too long. "The great Wanheda has finally fallen for me." She stated that with conviction and a smile.

"You know I've fallen for you long before that," Clarke admitted softly looking down at her feet willing them to steady her. "Even when I thought I hated you, a part of me still loved you."

Lexa was visibly moved by Clarke's admission. She was glad that Clarke wasn't looking at her and tried to quickly regain her composure before Clarke lifted her head to look at her.

"Did you hate me when I tried to kill you?" Clarke asked quite horrified by the memory.

"I could never hate you," Lexa confessed truthfully.

Unlike Lexa, Clarke had no qualms in expressing her feelings for her. She hugged her tightly glad to hear the verbal confirmation of what she already guessed.

"Clarke," Lexa whispered in her ear after they've been hugging for a while. "Do you still want to dance?"

"I have a better idea," Clarke whispered back seductively gently pushing Lexa backwards.

.

Lexa watched Clarke as she slept a second time since her return with the help of the flickering candles around them. She also listened to her breathing as it returned to normal after their exertion. She knew Clarke was strong but was still pleasantly surprised that she had been able to keep pace with her.

Clarke stirred in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes to find Lexa looking back at her. "You must think I'm weak for falling asleep on you."

"No; even the best warriors need to rest," Lexa quickly assured her.

"Then why aren't you resting?" Clarke asked reaching out to her.

"Because I'm planning my next move," Lexa said with a wicked smile before moving in to kiss Clarke. It was a kiss she had never done before and it left them both breathless but wanting more.

"We should get some sleep," Clarke suggested when they've finally sated themselves. "Otherwise my mom will think something is wrong or that I'm in danger." She had to elaborate when she saw Lexa give her an inquiring look.

"Why would she think that?" Lexa wondered. "I gave my word that you will be protected here in Polis."

"She's worried because all the members of your council are new," Clarke noted. "Where are the previous ones?"

"They're gone," Lexa said simply rising to avoid Clarke's inquiring look.

"What do you mean they're gone?" Clarke asked with concern and rising up next to her.

"They're not dead if that's what you think," Lexa assured her, slightly offended by her reaction.

"That's not what I was thinking," Clarke countered her notion knowing she had upset her. "I know you wouldn't kill them because if you wanted to, you would have done it when they staged the coup. I just prefer them since I've gotten to know them. Now I have to start over and get to know the new ambassadors."

Lexa felt relieved that Clarke had faith in her after all. "I think you will be pleased with them; they're more amenable to the new way we do things."

"How did you manage to do that?" Clarke asked. She was quite pleased and impressed that Lexa could accomplish so much in so short a time.

"As Commander of the Blood, I have certain privileges," Lexa began to explain. "This is particularly potent after a 'Time of Reflection.' A commander is then allowed to make sweeping changes."

"There's so much I have to learn about you and your people," Clarke said quite intrigued.

"I'll be happy to teach you," Lexa offered kissing Clarke's bare shoulder. She was about to begin when she heard a commotion outside her door.

"The commander is not to be disturbed," one of her guards declared. After a short while, the guard knocked tentatively at her door. "Commander, Abby kom Skaikru wishes to speak with you."

Clarke jumped out of the bed and fled to the other room to Lexa's surprise.

Lexa calmly got up and made herself presentable before opening the door. She gave Abby the sternest look she could muster.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your sleep Lexa but Clarke is missing," Abby said with maternal concern.

"What makes you say that?" Lexa asked indifferently.

"She's not in her room," Abby said trying not to panic. "I went there but it was empty and her guards are missing."

"She probably took a walk," Lexa said trying to redirect her concern. "Her guards will protect her from any harm." She made a mental note to chastise the guards for abandoning their post leading to this uncomfortable situation.

"What if she's lost?" Abby insisted. "Should we send someone to find her?"

Lexa knew there was no getting around it so she promised to have Clarke back in her room if she waited for her there.

"Is she gone?" Clarke asked returning to the bedroom when she heard the door close.

"Yes," Lexa replied turning to face her with the same stern look she gave Abby moments ago. "Is there a reason you don't want your mother to know that you share my bed?"

"It's not what you think," Clarke said trying to explain quickly. "She's still working on trusting you again right now. She's not ready to handle this."

Lexa considered it for a moment and agreed that Abby deserved some time. She had afforded Clarke time to trust her again after all. "Your mother is waiting for you in your room. You should go." She stepped aside to let her pass.

Clarke was saddened by being dismissed and headed towards the door. She felt Lexa's arm stop her a moment when she was near her and she looked up hopefully.

"Good night ambassador," Lexa said. "I'll see you in the morning." She leaned in to kiss Clarke to assure her that all was right between them.

"Good night commander," Clarke replied with a smile relieved to know Lexa was just keeping a promise to her mom.


	6. Chapter 6

Lexa stood by Kane waiting for Clarke and Abby to arrive so she could send them off as protocol required for visiting clan dignitaries. She even tolerated Kane's incessant questions regarding how Grounder politics would affect Skaikru and their future. She gently but firmly assured him that Clarke has their best interests and will speak for them.

"What's taking them so long?" Bellamy asked under his breath.

"You know how moms are," Octavia reminded him knowing that Abby was exercising her maternal rights to the full extent on Clarke. "She's probably giving Clarke some last motherly advice on how to behave. Give them a break; they have so little of these moments." She chuckled knowing Clarke very well.

Lexa overheard and smiled inwardly. She was glad that she was instrumental in giving mother and daughter some time to bond.

"They'll have more if Clarke would just come back to Arkadia with us," Bellamy said no longer caring who overheard him.

"There has to be an ambassador from your clan," Lexa declared matter-of-factly. "Someone trusted and well-respected among our people. Do you have anyone else in mind?" She looked directly at Bellamy daring him to think of someone better suited than Clarke.

Bellamy hated to admit it but Lexa was right. He, too, believed Clarke was their only option to uphold Arkadia's interests. He just wished it didn't have to mean Clarke staying in Polis.

"Clarke has to stay here," Kane said placing a hand on Bellamy to ease his pain. "I'm sure she'll come see us whenever she can." He turned to Lexa hoping she'd approve of it and was glad to see her nod.

"Octavia, you are welcome to stay here as my guest if you'd like," Lexa invited her. "I'm sure Clarke would like a friend in Polis and Indra is eager to resume your training with her."

Octavia perked up at the offer and accepted while ignoring Bellamy's silent objection. "Thank you commander. I'll go tell her right away." She started to walk off to find Indra but Lexa called her back.

"There's time for that later," Lexa noted. With a nod from Octavia, she turned her attention back to Kane who resumed asking questions now about trading goods and services. She did her best to explain how it all worked while hoping that Clarke would arrive soon.

.

Clarke saw the familiar commanding stance that Lexa took when dealing with her people. She felt honored that Skaikru can now be counted as one of them.

"Clarke, are you listening?" Abby asked as they walked.

"Yes, mom," Clarke said for the umpteenth time. "I'll be fine here; Lexa has given me bodyguards to keep me safe wherever I go."

"I just wished they'd put their foot down and prevent you from wandering off at night," Abby said still concerned for her safety.

Clarke couldn't tell her about that night without revealing her true relationship with Lexa so she just stayed mum about it.

"Do you trust your bodyguards?" Abby asked wishing at least one was someone from their own to be sure.

"You know Lexa wouldn't hesitate to kill them if they fail to protect me," Clarke reasoned. "Besides, I do feel safe." She hoped that was enough to convince her to drop the subject.

"Clarke," Lexa called out to her when she noticed them headed her way. "I've asked Octavia to stay in Polis to keep you company."

Clarke was pleasantly surprised that Lexa had provided her with such a reassurance for her mom. "See, I won't get into trouble, I have Octavia to keep me company." She saw Abby relax and knew it was enough for now.

"Ready to go?" Kane asked Abby. He watched her give Clarke a tight hug before giving Lexa his arm. "May we meet again?"

Lexa clasped her arm around his in response. She did the same with Abby but only watched Bellamy give a grudging nod as he walked away. She nodded to Octavia who escorted the trio to the edge of Polis.

"He's angry with you because you've asked Octavia to stay," Clarke noted seeing his behavior as he left.

Lexa knew it was more than that but decided not to mention it. "How did it go with your mother?" She was curious about it.

"You want to know if she's ready to trust you," Clarke clarified with a smile. "She's coming around to it."

"Good," Lexa said clearly glad about it. "Perhaps on her next visit she won't be looking for you in your bedroom to make sure you are safe."

"Did you miss me?" Clarke teased her as seductively as she could without drawing attention from people who might see them.

"How could I if I see you every day?" Lexa said turning to walk towards the street ahead fully expecting her to follow.

"In that case, I'll sleep in my room tonight," Clarke said. "It'll be nice not to share."

Lexa stopped mid-step and turned around to look at Clarke with concern on her face. She was relieved to see the same teasing smile on her mixed with a triumphant glint in her eyes.

"Thought so," Clarke said walking towards the street past Lexa.

.

Lexa stepped into an area devoid of any debris surrounded by a low wall. She waited for Clarke to join her.

"What is this?" Clarke promptly asked looking around.

"This is the spot where the first commander was first seen," Lexa revealed. "No one understood where she came from at that time; only that she came to offer her help."

"This is where she landed," Clarke said. It made sense given the size of the outlining wall.

"I come here sometimes to listen to her spirit," Lexa continued. "She guides me in my decisions along with all the commanders before me."

"So you do believe she came from the sky?" Clarke asked hopeful that she was coming around to the same conclusion.

Lexa remained silent. She could neither confirm nor deny that truth long before their time. "Has Murphy made progress?" She was acutely aware that Murphy had already met with her.

"I haven't heard from him since the last time I saw him," Clarke replied. "He told me that you've asked Titus to teach him your ways."

"I'm hoping they would learn from each other," Lexa explained. "And together they can find the truth."

Clarke was clearly impressed by Lexa's ability to make connections that would further a cause whatever it might be. "That was a nice move asking Octavia to stay. It really helped ease my mom's mind about my staying here."

"Her presence here in Polis serves many purposes," Lexa confirmed showing foresight on her part. She leaned against her favorite spot of the wall as evidenced by the wear on that portion.

"Why did you bring me here?" Clarke finally asked leaning on a spot next to her.

"The first commander came here for a reason," Lexa began. "I do want to know why and what it all means for our future." She stared blankly at the clearing within the wall.

"I'll help you figure it all out," Clarke said reaching for Lexa's hand and squeezing it. "I'm on your side. Always."

"Thank you," Lexa acknowledged with a slight smile. She allowed herself to lean into Clarke's shoulder when the latter wrapped an arm around her.

.

Clarke found herself wandering the streets of Polis on her own while Lexa trained with the nightbloods. Lexa had offered to cancel on them but she insisted that she go as scheduled.

 _/flashback_

 _"You could come watch me train them," Lexa suggested._

 _"And see you get hurt?" Clarke asked. "I'd rather not."_

 _"They won't hurt me," Lexa assured her. "I'm more skilled in combat than they are."_

 _"That's even worse; you're picking on inexperienced children," Clarke said feigning shock knowing full well that they aren't ordinary children._

 _"How else will they be prepared for what's to come?" Lexa asked leaning closer to Clarke without any attempt to kiss her._

 _Clarke clearly wanted Lexa to kiss her but knew if she did, then her own resolve to make her go train would fade. She took a quick deep breath and moved away from Lexa._

 _"Do you need directions to get back to the tower?" Lexa asked unsure if she remembered the path they took._

 _"I'll just explore the streets of Polis and see what your city has to offer," Clarke said confidently before walking away._

 _Lexa watched with the confidence that Clarke would enjoy and love the city as she did._

 _/flashback_

Clarke found shops along the way that intrigued her so she ducked in and out of them trying to see what they had to offer. She made mental notes of those she liked and hoped to return another time with Lexa.

"Clarke," Octavia called out to her from one of the alleys. "Where's Lexa?"

"She's training with the nightbloods," Clarke replied wondering what Octavia was doing there.

"Indra wanted me to get some healing herbs," Octavia explained showing her a few things she got.

"I can check on her if you'd like," Clarke offered and followed her friend who was clearly pleased.

"I'm surprised Lexa let you out of her sight," Octavia teased. "Doesn't she usually keep you locked up in her tower?"

Clarke made a face at Octavia that just made her laugh. "Where will you be staying while you're in Polis?"

"I've decided I'd stay with Indra," Octavia said proudly. "I'm not cut out for places like your room in the tower."

"Will you stop with that already?" Clarke said clearly annoyed by it.

Octavia nodded and led her into Indra's humble abode. "Look who I found wandering in the streets." She handed Indra her herbs.

"Let me take a look," Clarke offered checking on her wound. She could see it was healing but not as quickly as Lexa's did. "I'll send some ointment that could help with the healing."

"It's not necessary," Indra objected.

"It is if you want to be back by Lexa's side," Octavia insisted. "Is there a way for you to talk Lexa into restoring her to her position?"

Clarke gave Indra an assuring nod before walking back towards the street.

"While you're at it, can you also see if she'd lift Lincoln's kill-order?" Octavia requested. "I know she has lifted those for us but I'm not sure if that includes him."

Clarke smiled and gave Octavia a quick hug before heading back to her new home.

.

Lexa was already back when Clarke returned and wondered why Titus was there, too.

"Let me know as soon as you have things ready," Lexa said as Titus left the room.

"What's going on?" Clarke asked sensing something was troubling Lexa.

"It doesn't involve you or your people," Lexa assured her trying to keep her out of it.

"Whatever bothers you, bothers me," Clarke insisted reaching for Lexa's wrist. "I want to help you. Please let me do that."

Lexa knew Clarke enough to know she wouldn't drop the subject so she decided to share what little she knew. "One of the villages in the northwest felt the ground rumble and claims that the mountain has come to life."

"A volcano?" Clarke said showing concern for the villagers' safety. "Has it erupted before?"

"That's the thing, it's not a volcano." Lexa pulled up a few maps that showed the area.

"Maybe it was just dormant for so long that no one remembers," Clarke supposed.

Lexa gave Clarke a look that warned her not to question her about it. She went back to studying the maps when she knew Clarke wouldn't interrupt her again.

Clarke decided wisely to let Lexa process on her own and wait to be consulted when she was done.

Lexa put away the maps and looked at Clarke who was seated not far away from her. "I know you're trying to help but I know this land better than anyone."

"What if the maps are wrong?" Clarke wondered out loud catching Lexa by her wrist as she passed.

"They aren't and I will prove it to you," Lexa said confidently. "I ride out tomorrow to calm the villagers."

"What?" Clarke blurted out in surprise. "Why would you put yourself in harm's way?"

"My people need me," Lexa said slightly irked that Clarke seemed to be coddling her. "And there is no danger."

"Fine, then I'm coming with you," Clarke declared daring Lexa to order her to stay.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Lexa said with a smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Clarke shifted in her saddle again while they headed towards the village. She wanted to believe Lexa was right but also worried that she might be wrong.

"You should stop that or you'll spook your horse," Lexa warned noting her unease. She knew it wasn't about the horse but the destination that got Clarke anxious.

"Is that the village?" Clarke asked seeing smoke at a distance. She followed Lexa's lead when she dismounted and led the horse to a stream for a drink.

"Yes, I think you'd like it there," Lexa said scooping some water for herself.

"And what makes you say that?" Clarke asked also taking a drink from the stream.

Before she could reply, they both felt the ground shake and saw rock begin to slide towards the village. Without hesitation, they both mounted their horses and raced towards the village. As soon as they got there, Lexa took charge directing people to safety.

Clarke tried to help as best she could as well. She helped some of the injured by providing quick medical assistance.

They were close to evacuating the entire village when they felt another quake and heard the start of another rock slide.

"Clarke, go now!" Lexa yelled from atop her horse. She watched as Clarke climb up to her horse and she was headed towards her when she heard a child crying behind her. She turned and saw the little girl standing in the direct path of the slide. She steered her horse the opposite way and raced to pick up the little girl.

Clarke held her breath as she watched a short distance away. It was so close that if Lexa's horse was slightly slow, she would've surely been buried. She waited for Lexa to catch up to her.

"I told you to go," Lexa said harshly.

Clarke knew Lexa wasn't really angry that she didn't follow orders but was just as scared for her safety as she was for the commander's. "You're scaring the little girl." She hoped redirecting her attention would help calm her down.

Lexa looked down at the still shivering and crying child in her arm. She passed the girl to Clarke for her to comfort.

"It'll be alright," Clarke tried to soothe her but could tell the girl didn't understand her.

Lexa spoke to the little girl in their language and gave her head a quick rub. It was enough to make the little girl calm down. "Will you care for her until her mother claims her?"

Clarke nodded although she didn't need Lexa to ask her to. She watched as the commander back in full leader mode head to the front to lead the people.

Lexa found a clearing where they could set up camp and started helping the men make shelter for the villagers as they trickled in. By the time the last of the evacuees arrived, the camp was fully functional.

Clarke arrived with her ward and was clearly impressed with how much had been accomplished in such a short time. She scanned the camp for Lexa but before she could locate her, she felt the little girl squirm in her arms. "What is it?" She looked and found the little girl reaching for an approaching woman.

"That's her mother," Lexa said from behind having found her first. "She had been looking for the child since we arrived."

"Why did she abandon her?" Clarke asked hesitant to return the child to her mother.

"She thought her husband had the child and went to help the injured," Lexa explained and took the little girl from Clarke. "She has been inconsolable since finding her husband without the child. And the husband had been with the village elders helping the evacuees thinking she had her." She realized Clarke was being protective of the child but knew enough to know that she wasn't abandoned. She returned the child to the very grateful mother who bowed and kissed Lexa's hand.

"I suppose that could happen during the chaotic evacuation," Clarke said still eyeing the reunited family. "They should be more careful next time."

Lexa was quite touched by Clarke's concern for the child and for the villagers in general.

"So what now?" Clarke asked looking around for what to do next.

"We rest," Lexa said leading the way to a tent for the two of them. She opened the flap and let Clarke enter ahead of her.

"How about food?" Clarke wondered feeling hungry all of a sudden.

"I've sent a party to forage for food," Lexa said. "They should be back soon."

Clarke offered to go check so Lexa could rest. She met up with the mother of the girl Lexa rescued and was given a handful of food. "No, this isn't necessary." She tried to refuse but realized the woman meant it for Lexa as she pointed towards the tent. With that she accepted graciously and returned to the tent where she found Lexa fast asleep. She set down the food and picked up a blanket to put over Lexa's sleeping form.

.

Lexa woke up enveloped in a familiar cocoon of warmth. She tried her best not to disturb her companion but it was difficult since Clarke had her wrapped in a tight embrace.

"Hungry now?" Clarke asked in a whisper as she released Lexa from her hold.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," Lexa apologized getting up.

"You don't need to explain," Clarke assured her. "I'm sure everyone is exhausted."

Lexa stood up and picked up the food Clarke brought in. She brought it back over to share with her.

"What will happen to the village?" Clarke wondered out loud.

"They'll rebuild in time," Lexa said. "But we need to climb up the mountain to see what's causing this first."

Clarke ate in silence as she waited for Lexa to explain the plan.

"Are you going to say 'I told you so'?" Lexa asked.

"I haven't decided yet," Clarke replied but unable to flash a triumphant smile. "I'm still waiting for you to prove it's not a volcano."

Lexa was glad for that and still felt confident she was right. "I do have one request before we go."

Clarke looked up to hear what it was. She pretty much guessed what it was after what happened earlier that day.

"When I tell you to run, you run."

"Only if you promise not to run back for anything," Clarke countered taking that opportunity to get that from her in return.

Lexa nodded her agreement.

.

Clarke, Lexa and a guide from the village started their trek up the mountain early the following day. As they were headed for their horses, the little girl Lexa rescued ran towards them. Lexa knelt down and listened to what she had to say. She said something back and gave the girl another head rub.

"What did she want?" Clarke asked when they mounted their horses outside the camp.

"She wanted to come with us," Lexa revealed. "She wanted to punish the mountain for destroying her village."

Clarke felt bad for the little girl being traumatized by such a disaster.

"I told her we will try to tame the mountain for her," Lexa added. "Are you up for it?" She could clearly see doubt linger on Clarke's face.

Clarke truly wished she could be more supportive but couldn't dispel the nagging feeling that something was amiss.

With determination, the trio reached close to the top of the mountain in good time. Lexa asked their guide to stay behind and watch the horses as she and Clarke continued on to investigate the cause of the rock slides. When they got to the very top, they found a gaping hole.

"What is that?" Lexa asked looking down at the metal silo embedded inside.

"It's a missile silo," Clarke replied. Just as she said that, the ground started to shift again. She lost her footing and started to slide towards the hole but Lexa caught her by the arm.

"Why is it doing that?" Lexa asked when they were on more stable ground.

"It's trying to open," Clarke inferred watching a panel lift up. "Which means it's trying to fire a missile."

Lexa looked questioningly at Clarke who understood they had to find out why and what was making it do that.

"We need to get down there," Clarke said surveying for a way down. She found some access path that she led Lexa to.

"Will it launch?" Lexa asked worried that it might do so while they were in there.

"I think it's jammed," Clarke guessed correctly. "Hopefully we can get down there and find a way to stop it."

Once they were at the tip of the missile, Clarke stopped suddenly that made Lexa wonder.

"What's the matter?" Lexa asked trying to discern what had alarmed her.

"That symbol means it's nuclear," Clarke said gravely. She saw a door and opened it to get into a corridor that she hoped would lead to the command center.

Lexa followed in full alert. "Do you think there's anyone here?" She had her hand ready to draw her sword.

"It looks abandoned," Clarke said noting all the undisturbed dust around. She saw the door to the command room and entered. She was astonished to see that the machines were up and running.

"There's no one here so why are these working?" Lexa asked watching Clarke check on a monitor.

"When did the villagers say the ground move?"

"A few weeks ago," Lexa replied. "They have been up this mountain so many times and suddenly saw a hole grow."

"Someone turned it on remotely," Clarke said pointing to the uptime counter on the console.

"Who?" Lexa asked simply checking the perimeter to be sure they were alone.

"I don't know," Clarke said sadly wishing she was better with such things. "Maybe those manuals can help me figure it out." She pulled a few off the shelf and started flipping through the pages.

.

Lexa paced back and forth while she waited for Clarke to make sense of it all.

"Will you please stop that?" Clarke requested. "It's not helping me learn this quicker."

"Can I help?" Lexa offered wanting to do something useful instead.

"You could try looking through that," Clarke suggested pointing to another binder.

Lexa sat down and began to look through it. "What am I looking for?" She saw diagrams and details that weirdly made sense to her.

"You said that the hole suddenly appeared which means someone has recently gained access to this," Clarke began explaining. "According to this, it can be done from somewhere else remotely." She showed Lexa the page she was looking at detailing how it could be done.

"And you think it's to launch that missile?" Lexa said arriving at the same conclusion.

"And since the silo doors won't completely open, it can't do that," Clarke added. "It keeps trying which is causing the ground to shake and the rock slides."

"Can we close it permanently?" Lexa ventured to ask. "It's just a matter of time until it forces the doors open."

"Even if we manage to do that, we have to find a way to disarm that missile to be sure it can never be used again." Clarke realized that it probably was one of the many launched close to a century ago that almost annihilated humankind.

"How much time do we have?" Lexa wondered leafing through the pages on her binder more urgently.

"Well, it seems like it can only try to open the doors once a day," Clarke determined. "Which means it spends all of its energy on one try then has to recharge the next day."

"What if we remove its energy source?" Lexa suggested. "It will at least prevent that missile from getting out."

Clarke saw the logic in that and agreed. She pulled out another binder to determine where they could do that. "Then we have to somehow get rid of the missile and its nuclear warhead."

"You mean this," Lexa said pointing to the schematics she just looked at. "Do you know how?"

"No," Clarke admitted wishing she learned more about it during her time in the Ark. "Let's just work on what we can right now."

Lexa nodded her agreement and started to head out while Clarke took one last look for the power source location on the facility map. She had opened the door and promptly collapsed from a shock to the chest.

Clarke heard the loud thump and quickly reached for her gun.

"I won't do that if you don't want her to die," the unwelcomed visitor said menacingly by the door. He held a stun stick over Lexa and increased its level to prove his deadly intent.

"What are you doing here Pike?" Clarke asked angrily lowering her gun.

"I wanted to kill you two the first chance I could," he revealed. "But this is even better. A missile I can use to destroy Polis; straight into her tower." He glanced at the missile just waiting to be launched.

"You can't," Clarke begged. "The fallout will affect Arkadia. You'll kill our people."

"Not if I warn them to stay indoors," he said with a smile. "And thanks to you, I have the means to wipe out her people and make Arkadia the lone survivors." He motioned for Clarke to surrender her gun which she promptly did.

"Lexa let you live," Clarke reminded him. "She's given us the land we wanted."

"It's not enough," he said before stunning Clarke into submission.

 _Note: I don't know much about missiles, nuclear or otherwise, so just pardon any inaccuracies I may have as I work it into the story._


	8. Chapter 8

Lexa opened her eyes and found herself looking up at the ceiling while feeling a subsiding pain on her chest. She carefully got up and saw Clarke unconscious beside her. She immediately checked for her sword and found it gone. She looked around to assess the danger they were in before trying to revive Clarke.

Clarke stirred to Lexa's relief and got up groggily. She rubbed her chest to soothe the pain away.

"What happened?" Lexa asked clearly unaware of what hit her.

"Pike happened," Clarke revealed. "I'm so sorry Lexa; you were right that he is dangerous alive."

"This isn't the time for that," Lexa said knowing how difficult that was for Clarke to admit but more concerned about what he intended to do. "What is he doing here?"

"He said he wanted to kill us," Clarke disclosed. "But now he wants to fire the missile at Polis." She intentionally didn't mention the real target to soften the blow.

"He is aiming it at my tower," Lexa concluded anyway. "We have to stop him." She got up and tried to find a way out.

Clarke got herself together and started to think of a plan. She watched as Lexa tried to kick the door open. "Lexa, that's not going to help." She knew the door was locked shut.

Lexa was clearly getting angrier by the minute knowing that her city was in danger and she was helplessly trapped in that room. "Do you have a better idea to get out of here?"

Clarke looked up desperately and then it hit her when she saw the air vent opening. "We go up. Help me get up there."

Lexa quickly caught on and boosted her up to reach it to get it open. Once opened, she pushed Clarke so she can climb in.

"It's a little dark," Clarke reported. "But I think we can manage." She realized that the other vents provided enough illumination because the rooms were all lit up. She waited for a response from Lexa but heard nothing. She was getting worried when she suddenly saw Lexa pop in behind her.

Lexa looked at her curiously. "What now?" She pulled herself completely into the ductwork.

Clarke tried to figure out which way to go and slowly they arrived at another room that after checking that it was empty, they dropped into.

Lexa looked around and checked on the door to be sure it was unlocked. "Are you sure he's alone?" She wanted to be sure they had the advantage in numbers given that they had no weapons.

Clarke nodded a confirmation while looking around the room for anything that they could use as a weapon. That's when they heard the blast outside.

"What was that?" Lexa wondered.

"He's trying to clear the boulder blocking the door," Clarke said noticing a monitor that had video from the outside. "We have to get back to the control room."

.

Clarke and Lexa carefully walked the corridors to avoid encountering Pike. Recognizing the door to the command center, they decided to once again go up the vent to have the element of surprise if Pike was in there.

Each at a separate vent, Lexa and Clarke tried to see into the room. They got there just before Pike returned and with a nod they crashed into the room to flank him.

Pike whipped out the gun but Lexa quickly kicked it out of his hand and it slid across the floor towards Clarke who picked it up quickly to aim it at him. He quickly turned to pick up the stun stick on the table while Lexa went for her sword and knife.

"Put it down," Clarke demanded levelling the gun at Pike.

"Are you going to shoot me?" he challenged her. "You would kill me for her?" He tilted his head towards Lexa.

"You should be in the dungeon," Lexa said. "How did you escape?"

"Not everyone in Polis agrees with your new way," he replied with a smirk. "It won't be long until you fall from grace."

"Says the man who crashed and burned," Lexa said angrily gripping her sword ready to strike him.

They heard and saw the scheduled attempt to open the missile door on the screens on the wall. It was successful thanks to Pike's attempt to clear the obstruction.

"That missile needs to be fired," Pike said happily. "You can't stop it."

Clarke knew he was right and it was just a matter of time. She had to think fast.

"We won't let that happen," Lexa said confident Clarke was on her side.

"He's right," Clarke said turning to point the gun at Lexa. "That missile needs to go where it has to go." She could see the shock and anger in Lexa's eyes.

Pike was surprised that Clarke would switch sides but saw it as an opportunity to accomplish what he wanted. "Shoot her."

"Why not let her watch her city get destroyed?" Clarke suggested coldly. She could tell that Pike liked that idea and watched him tie Lexa down to a chair.

"Do you know how to target that missile?" he asked. "I need help with that." He saw Clarke nod and he focused on the radio to try to communicate with Arkadia.

Clarke sat down at the console and started to set the missile. She saw Lexa struggle to free herself. "It'll be over soon."

"The twelve clans will unite to destroy your people," Lexa seethed and threatened them. "But I'll kill you myself." She watched as Clarke approach her and put a gag on her mouth.

Pike turned and checked on them. "What's the matter?"

"I just can't concentrate with her threatening us," Clarke said. "I have to finish my work in peace." She turned and went back to work.

Pike paced back and forth while he waited for Arkadia to respond to his message. He slammed the radio when he failed to get anything.

"I think I'm almost done," Clarke announced. "But I think we should do a visual check of the missile. Wouldn't want it to blow up here and kill us instead." She waited as Pike came over to look over her shoulder.

"Good work," he said patting her on the shoulder. "Now let's go check on that missile." He liked how Clarke took initiative when she wanted to do something.

Lexa grunted when they headed for the door.

"We'll be right back," Clarke said before leading Pike out.

.

Lexa waited a moment before starting to cut through her bindings. She gave Clarke the time she needed and now readied herself to fight. She tried to think what Clarke would do and positioned herself at the best spot to attack. She held on to the knife that Clarke had put in her hands when she was gagged.

"Shouldn't we try calling Arkadia again?" Clarke asked as she opened the door slowly. "I don't want to fire the missile until I'm sure they're safe."

"We'll fire it when everyone is asleep," Pike said figuring most will be indoors by then. He entered and immediately saw Lexa had freed herself. He activated his stun stick and quickly struck Clarke who had her gun aimed at him.

Clarke dropped the gun and quickly kicked it away from Pike towards Lexa. She dodged the next strike from Pike but almost caught a blow if it weren't for Lexa's help who threw her knife at him making him drop his weapon. She quickly pulled the knife off of him to have a weapon of her own and ran next to Lexa.

"I should've known you would double-cross me," he said angrily holding his injured hand. "But you won't be able to stop that missile if I have anything to say." He quickly moved towards the launch button.

"It's not going to Polis," Clarke revealed. "I made it go straight up to the atmosphere where it will be harmless."

"You think I didn't notice that? I know the coordinates for Polis by heart and knew you didn't do what you said. I manually put the coordinates on the missile itself." He gave them a victorious smirk before pressing the button.

"No!" Clarke and Lexa both said and shot him simultaneously. They were both too late as they heard the countdown begin for the launch.

"Can we stop it?" Lexa asked quickly pulling him off the button. She looked at the gunshot wound to his head and the knife sticking out of his chest to confirm that he was dead. She pulled the knife out and turned to Clarke who was already trying to change its course.

"I can't," Clarke said sadly. "We need to undo what he did out there." She quickly ran out the door and towards the missile.

Lexa quickly followed her and hoped they weren't too late.

"I can't reach it," Clarke said pointing to the panel where Pike had made the change.

"Get on my shoulders," Lexa ordered without hesitation. She boosted Clarke up so she could work on the missile. "How much longer?" She didn't want to rush but the smoke coming up around them meant it was getting ready to launch.

"Just another minute," Clarke shouted back as the rocket sounds started to get loud. "Done!" She got down and that's when they realized that the missile had already righted itself and they were far from the access plank.

"I can swing you over," Lexa offered taking her by the hand and doing just that. She watched as Clarke landed safely on the ledge.

"Jump!" Clarke called out knowing that Lexa had little time. She prepared herself to catch Lexa if necessary. Instead Lexa made it clear but slammed her left shoulder on the wall. She quickly pulled Lexa and led them through the door and closed it behind them before the missile started lifting off.

"Are you sure it's not going to hit Polis?" Lexa asked leaning against the door.

"I'm pretty sure," Clarke said. "I think I calculated it right." She looked at Lexa who gave her a worried look.

"How do we know if you got it right?" Lexa was hopeful.

"We need to watch the monitors in the control room," Clarke suggested and pulled Lexa by her left shoulder. She heard Lexa groan and realized she was injured. "You need to work on your landings."

"I'm fine," Lexa said working through the pain and following Clarke back to the control room. They watched the rocket rise up on the screen. "How long before we know if it worked?"

Clarke explained that the rocket should go straight up so they waited with abated breath if it would go past the point where it would have angled to head towards Polis. She found something to use as a sling and started to tie it over Lexa's arm to keep herself busy.

"It won't matter if Polis is gone," Lexa said grimly. She felt Clarke reach for her hand and they sat there waiting.

"If I had more time, I would've double checked," Clarke said second-guessing herself.

"It's not your fault," Lexa said squeezing her hand. After a few minutes they saw the rocket shoot past and both collapsed into each other's arms relieved. "You did it."

"We did it," Clarke said. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Now what happens?" Lexa asked. The answer came sooner than she expected when they saw the missile explode up in the sky.

"I hope that's not as bad as I think it would be," Clarke said. "Maybe we should destroy this place."

"Is that necessary?" Lexa asked. "The villagers love this mountain." She was hoping that with no more missile in sight, they can just lock up the place.

Clarke understood and considered how to ensure no further threat came from it.

.

Clarke used the same blasting material that opened the missile door to bury it. She watched as large boulders sealed it. She picked up the binders that she deemed worth taking with them and turned to Lexa. "So, how are we getting down this mountain?"

"The same way we came up," Lexa replied.

"In case you haven't noticed, our guide and horses are gone," Clarke pointed out. "And after that blast, I don't think anyone from the village is going to come up to help us."

Lexa let out a loud whistle that seemed to echo around them. Before long, they heard the distinct galloping sound of Lexa's horse.

"That's a neat trick," Clarke said quite impressed. "Will that work on my horse?"

"I'm afraid yours is probably long gone," Lexa said. She rubbed her horse's muzzle thanking him for sticking around.

"You're going to make me walk back down?" Clarke asked quite disappointed as she watched Lexa mount her horse. She cheered up when Lexa extended her uninjured arm to help her on.

Clarke was glad she had the forethought to tie up the binders and placed it over the horse before getting up behind Lexa. "Wouldn't you rather have me steer your horse?"

"He's my horse for a reason," Lexa said. "He only tolerates you because I'm on."

"It's not like he can see from the back of his head," Clarke said settling in behind Lexa.

"Would you like to test that theory?" Lexa challenged jokingly. "Just don't blame me if you end up on the ground and he makes you walk the rest of the way down."

"Fine, just don't blame me when your arm hurts," Clarke countered. She didn't want to admit it out loud but she quite liked riding behind Lexa.

Their progress was slowed by the extra weight and Lexa's cautious maneuvering. She realized that they had to stop before they lost sunlight. She helped Clarke down before dismounting herself. "We should camp here."

Clarke watched as Lexa tended to her sore arm. "Why don't you rest and let me setup camp?" She wanted Lexa to relax.

Lexa watched as Clarke retrieved flint from her pocket to start a fire. "Why didn't you bring your knife?" She wondered when Clarke took hers.

"Because someone said this would be a safe trip," Clarke teased.

"At least I was right about the mountain," Lexa reminded her. She saw Clarke roll her eyes at her and smiled.

"Didn't make it any safer," Clarke said and started to go hunt for food.

"Don't go too far," Lexa gently warned. "It will be dark soon. I wouldn't want you to get lost."


	9. Chapter 9

Lexa waited patiently for Clarke to return not wanting to panic as the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the mountain. She was relieved when Clarke returned a few moments later. "What took you so long?"

"I may not hunt as well as you do," Clarke began hiding a small kill behind her back. "But I did get us something to eat." She proudly showed it off and could see Lexa was impressed thanks to the campfire that illuminated her face.

"Your skill with the knife has greatly improved," Lexa noted. She watched as Clarke skinned the small animal and prepared it to be cooked.

"Your aim with a gun is impressive," Clarke said. "You shot him in the head."

"You got him in the heart," Lexa noted having pulled out the knife from Pike earlier.

"I told him I would," Clarke said. "It's his fault he didn't believe I could."

"Did you hunt a lot when you ran away?" Lexa asked.

Clarke nodded remembering that episode in her life. "I learned a lot living on my own."

"Including hiding from the people who care about you," Lexa noted.

"But you found me and brought me back to my people." She watched as the fire crackled while their food cooked.

"What would your people think now that he is dead?" Lexa wondered how they would take the news when they found out.

"They will have to accept that we stopped a madman who was going to use a nuclear missile to destroy not only your people but mine," Clarke reasoned. "I have equal share in that burden."

"I'm sorry you had to," Lexa said wishing she had eliminated the potential problem sooner.

"Don't be; I'm not," Clarke said stoking the fire. "You're right; sometimes you have to eliminate a threat before it becomes a bigger problem."

Lexa studied Clarke in the flickering light. She could see that Clarke was putting on a brave face but was still shaken by it. She gently pulled her by the shoulder towards her. "It's all over now. We're safe again."

Clarke leaned against Lexa and tried to relax. "Do you have any idea how Pike escaped?"

"I'll find out how when we get back to Polis," Lexa replied. "I will deal with those who betrayed me personally." She tried to dampen her anger so as not to scare Clarke.

"I had to pretend to betray you," Clarke tried to explain her earlier action after a drawn pause. "You know I never would have right?" She felt Lexa tense up and prayed that it wasn't so she could render a fatal blow.

"There was a brief moment when I thought you did," Lexa admitted. "But a part of me still trusted you."

Clarke was overjoyed and had to hug Lexa for that. She was so happy that she forgot Lexa's arm was still tender and drew back when she heard Lexa groan in pain. "I'm sorry, I'll be more careful."

"I'm afraid my arm will never heal since you tend to favor pulling or squeezing it," Lexa teased with a straight face. "I thought you liked to fix things not break them."

"Not funny," Clarke said with a matching straight face. "I was ready to catch you. It's not my fault you preferred to hug the wall than me."

"Burning," Lexa said with concern.

"Your arm?" Clarke asked suddenly worried that her injury had gotten worse.

"The food," Lexa said watching it start to char on the spit. She watched as Clarke quickly salvaged what she could.

"Here, you can have all of it," Clarke offered.

"We have to work on your cooking skills," Lexa teased taking a portion of it. "But I'm not about to let you go hungry for your mistake." She gave Clarke a sweet smile that could make any burnt meal edible.

"This is still better than anything I grew up eating," Clarke noted as she ate.

"I'll have to let you try my favorites," Lexa offered making a mental note of it. "They're hard to come by but this could be the year we will get some."

Clarke smiled and hoped she was right.

.

Clarke stirred awake and saw Lexa in a tense crouch next to her. She caught on quickly that something had alarmed her. She crawled next to her and drew her gun.

Lexa moved to get a better view of the group approaching them. She relaxed when she recognized them as the villagers. She stood up and called out to them. She listened as the men explained how after their guide returned to report a stranger had arrived, they had come up to help.

Clarke waited and picked up a few words here and there that made her conclude that the villagers had seen the missile explode and realized that they had done it.

Lexa turned and nodded towards her. She stood aside as the men walked over to thank her. "I told them you saved their mountain."

"That's not quite true," Clarke corrected her but saw the signature Lexa look that demanded compliance.

"They don't have to know the whole truth," Lexa said quietly. "It would just generate more questions."

Clarke saw the logic in that and let it be. She saw the men bring back her horse with them and mounted it as Lexa did the same.

With refreshed horses and company, the trip down the mountain was less tedious. When they were within viewing distance of the evacuation site, the men rode ahead to prepare for their arrival.

"I can't wait to sleep on a bed," Clarke said.

"I can't wait to eat unburnt food," Lexa joked and smiled when Clarke gave her an annoyed look.

They were warmly welcomed upon their arrival. The little girl Lexa saved was the first to run up to her when she dismounted. Lexa picked her up with her uninjured arm and said something that made the little girl hug her.

"She likes you," Clarke noted.

"She likes you, too," Lexa said handing the little girl over to her. "She knows we both tamed the mountain for her."

"Is there a way we can just go and rest a little?" Clarke was clearly wanting to lay down. She waited as Lexa announced their plan and the villagers moved aside to create a path to their tent.

"They've agreed to let us rest," Lexa explained as they got into their tent. "But be prepared to celebrate tonight. They have planned a feast." She turned and found Clarke already fast asleep. She pulled off Clarke's boots and loosened her clothing to make it more comfortable for her before lying beside her.

.

Clarke woke up after a short nap and felt refreshed. She looked around but didn't find Lexa. She got up and started pulling her boots on when Lexa returned.

"You're awake," Lexa said happily setting down the binders they had brought with them. "Just in time for the feast."

Being refreshed, Clarke was eager to join and see what was in store for them. Sitting next to Lexa, she was surprised by the amount of food that they were offered.

"They gathered and traded with a neighboring village," Lexa explained. "I've told the village elders that it is safe to return and rebuild their village. The mountain is safe once again."

Clarke was glad that she could be partially instrumental in that. She enjoyed the food along with Lexa and the villagers. Occasionally one of the villagers would come close to offer more food until they were just too full to accept. Before long they cleared a spot to perform dances that entertained them.

"They've created a dance about our taming of the mountain," Lexa explained with a smile. "You're now a hero to them."

Clarke watched with interest as they expressed a story through dance. "Do they always do this? Is this why you said I'd like them?"

"They are less warlike than most," Lexa admitted. "But if needed, they will fight for me."

"I'm sure they would," Clarke agreed having seen how they banded together to rescue them earlier.

The dance ended and the villagers cheered. Lexa stood up and spoke to them that made them cheer louder. Then one of the elders spoke while a dozen women gathered in front of them. Clarke watched and wondered what was next. They began to dance provocatively that she couldn't help but be mesmerized by. It went on for quite a while before reaching a crescendo that ended with another loud cheer from everyone.

"That was quite a show," Clarke noted. "What's next?" She listened to the elder speak again and she picked up on the words daughter and gift. "What's going on?"

"They are offering me their daughters," Lexa replied calmly.

"What?" Clarke asked in surprise. "You can't be serious."

"It would be an insult for me not to consider," Lexa said getting up and walking towards the women. She carefully considered each as they stepped forward to be presented to her. One even ventured to touch Lexa's arm to which the villagers shouted with approval and encouragement.

Clarke genuinely wished at that moment that she had a knife to throw at the offender. Instead all she could do was sit and watch while Lexa met with the women one by one. When Lexa turned to do it all over again, Clarke had enough and walked back to the tent.

Lexa saw Clarke storm off from the corner of her eye but had to stick to her duty and admired each of the women by praising an attribute she considered each one had.

.

Clarke returned to the tent in a huff and tried to shut out the clamoring coming from outside that came in waves. She angrily paced back and forth wondering what she could do to avoid the inevitable. She thought about leaving for Polis but it was dark and she wasn't familiar with the terrain. She wondered if the little girl's family would mind her staying with them if she asked. She just knew she couldn't be there when Lexa returned.

Back outside, Lexa purposefully took her time to make a decision to demonstrate to the villagers that she appreciated their offer. She also wondered how she would make Clarke understand it was expected of her and accept it. She knew by Clarke's early departure that she was not pleased. She could only imagine what was going through her mind inside the tent.

Clarke didn't know whether the long wait for Lexa's return was a good or bad thing. She decided that it would be better to face her than run away. Besides, she knew she would have to eventually anyway. Perhaps the pacing had calmed her down a bit but when she looked at the bed they shared since they've been there, she started to get upset again. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Lexa enter the tent.

"Clarke, are you alright?" Lexa asked announcing her presence. She waited for her to respond and when she didn't she approached.

"I can't," Clarke said turning around close to tears. "I won't."

"What are you talking about?" Lexa wondered unsure what she was getting at.

"This may be acceptable in your culture but," Clarke started.

"Stop!" Lexa commanded with her usual raised hand. She got a glimpse of Clarke's pain before she looked away to hide the tears that were rolling down of their own volition. "I've already made my choice and I chose none of them."

Clarke snapped back and looked at Lexa with disbelief. "But you said it would be an insult …"

"To not consider the offer," Lexa corrected her notion. "But I can decline graciously."

"Graciously?" Clarke asked with curiosity allowing Lexa to wipe away her tears.

Lexa took Clarke's hand and led her to sit on the edge of their bed. "I told them that they were all so pretty that I couldn't choose just one; I had to choose all of them. But it would be too much to ask and take them all away from their families."

"What if they agreed to let you have them all?" Clarke continued. "Did you consider that?"

"I know my people well enough to know they won't," Lexa assured her. "And if they still insisted, I would decline ungraciously. Do you have so little faith in me Clarke?" She stood up abruptly so Clarke won't see that she was upset by her obvious distrust.

"I'm sorry, I was jealous," Clarke admitted reaching for her hand to stop her from walking away and standing to look at her. "I thought that now that you're …" She trailed off knowing that she was better off not saying anything.

"Why would you think I'd take another?" Lexa asked making her own connections quickly. "The boy you loved took another?" She tilted Clarke's head up when she looked down to avoid her gaze.

"It's complicated," Clarke reasoned.

"It shouldn't be," Lexa countered leaning in to give her a kiss with a silent promise. When she pulled away, Clarke pulled her back for more.

"Commander," a voice called out from outside their tent breaking their moment.

Lexa looked at Clarke and gave her a silent command to be quiet to see if he would go away. When he called out again, she knew she couldn't ignore it.

"Your people need you," Clarke said with a smile. Her smile deepened when Lexa reminded her he was their people now. She waited while Lexa went to see what he wanted.

Lexa came back to consult with Clarke. "The women would like to talk to me."

Clarke felt more confident now than she did before and let her go with a nod. As Lexa turned to leave, she stopped her and took Lexa's knife from her. "Just in case I have to decline ungraciously for you." She knew Lexa appreciated that even though she gave her a stern look before she left.


	10. Chapter 10

Lexa surveyed the damage to the village as she and some of the men returned to assess the area for rebuilding. She gave some suggestions on how to fortify the area that the men appreciated while some started to clear some of the debris.

"Commander," Clarke called out to her when she arrived with some of the women with food.

Lexa had her back to them but recognized the caller immediately. She was glad Clarke came but was surprised when she turned and saw her. "What did you do to your hair?"

"Do you like it?" Clarke asked showing it off. "They did it while we waited for the food to cook." She motioned towards the women who came with her.

Lexa recognized a few from the night before. She wondered if they had ulterior motives for braiding Clarke's hair. She studied the intricate pattern they wove and saw that it was harmless. "It suits you."

Clarke was glad that it pleased Lexa. "Now that I'm here, what can I do to help?" She looked around and could tell Lexa had been busy.

"You've done enough by bringing food," Lexa said. "You didn't actually cook it right?" She smiled when Clarke gave her a look.

"Will you please stop that?" Clarke requested with slight annoyance. She was about to give an idle threat to avoid further ribbing around the subject when one of the women handed them their share of the food.

"I'm sorry; I'll try not to bring it up again," Lexa said with amusement. She watched intently as the same woman returned and gave them their drinks that Clarke accepted for both of them. "You should be careful with her." Lexa decided she should warn her.

"What do you mean?" Clarke asked taking a bite. "Isn't she one of those who kept you up all night?" She clearly knew that it was late when Lexa returned to their tent.

"She shows interest in you," Lexa noted without further explanation.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Clarke countered. "Look, I'm not jealous anymore; I trust you."

"She kept asking about you," Lexa revealed. "She wanted to know what you liked and if you might possibly be interested in her."

Clarke was dumbfounded. She didn't know whether to be flattered or scared of what Lexa might do.

"Are you interested in her?" Lexa asked after a while.

"Of course not!" Clarke finally found her voice. "You know I wouldn't be. Why didn't you tell her that?"

Lexa was still relieved to hear that even though she already knew. "I already declined her graciously, I'm not about to decline again for you."

Clarke saw from the corner of her eye that the woman was approaching again and decided to quickly put an end to her advances. She pulled Lexa in for a quick kiss. "There, I hope that settles the matter for both of you."

Lexa looked over Clarke's shoulder and saw the woman turn away. "That works."

"Will they be asking for you again tonight? You stayed out quite late."

"No, I think I've fully satisfied their curiosity about Polis," Lexa replied. "Besides, we have to start heading back."

Clarke agreed. She knew people in Polis and even in Arkadia would have a lot of questions about what had just happened.

.

Lexa bade the village elders goodbye while Clarke bade the village women the same. They both mounted their horses and were on their way back.

"It would be nice to be back home," Clarke noted already thinking about the end of their journey.

"You're heading to Arkadia?" Lexa asked with sadness.

Clarke smiled realizing that she hadn't told Lexa how she felt about Polis yet. "I meant my new home, Polis." She saw Lexa perk up with that revelation.

"Since when?" Lexa asked trying to get a sense of when the shift occurred.

"Does it matter?" Clarke asked seeing Lexa agree that it didn't. Suddenly in a playful mood, she challenged Lexa to a horse race. "You'll have to give me a head start." She knew she didn't stand a chance without it.

"You'll wear out your horse," Lexa gently warned. "It won't get us back any sooner."

"You afraid I'll beat you?" Clarke challenged and kicked her horse into a full gallop.

Lexa waited to give Clarke her head start but then saw riders coming towards them and knew she had to catch up to her quickly. She was quickly beside Clarke who obviously hadn't noticed so she reached out to stop her horse.

"No fair," Clarke complained but quickly noticed that Lexa was no longer in a playful mood. She looked around and saw what had alarmed her. She saw that they were out in the open and quite vulnerable.

Lexa studied the riders carefully and saw one of them ride ahead of the rest. She noticed he bore her guard's crest but placed her hand on her sword to be ready. When he was closer, she recognized him as one of her guards and relaxed.

"Commander!" the rider shouted when he was within hearing distance. "We've come to escort you safely to Polis."

.

Clarke wasn't too pleased that Titus had sent the guards out to escort them back to Polis but realized that he was concerned for their safety after the missile blast. She could only imagine what it looked like to him not knowing what they had done.

"Wanheda, you mustn't hold too tightly on the reins," one of the guards suggested.

Clarke recognized him as one of her bodyguards, the one she had Lexa release from the dungeon. "I hadn't realized I was doing that."

"It is easy to forget," he said quite conciliatory. "You ride quite well and naturally."

"For a Skaikru you mean?" she asked seeing him smile his confirmation. "What do they call you?"

"Quark," he replied looking quickly around for any signs of danger. He had become protective of her since her act of clemency.

"Where are you from?" she asked genuinely curious about him. "I mean what village are you from before Polis." She could tell he found the question odd so she elaborated.

"I come from the same village as Quint," he revealed.

"I need to talk to the Commander," she said quickly and urged her horse to catch up to her.

"What's the matter?" Lexa asked seeing Clarke's concerned look.

"Did you know that Quark is from Quint's village?" She wasn't sure and worried for her safety.

"Yes, I did," Lexa said. "But his loyalty is to me now and not his village. By joining the Commander's Guards, they shed any affiliation to their clans."

"Are you sure?" Clarke asked seemingly unconvinced.

"Your fight is with Quint, not him," Lexa assured her. "If he bore any grudge against you, he would have acted on it long ago."

"That's a pretty risky move," Clarke said realizing the danger she could've been in.

"You were in no danger," Lexa said firmly. "I would never place you in harm's way. If anything, it was a test of his loyalty to me to see how far he would protect you. Do you want me to find someone else for you?"

Clarke trusted Lexa so she agreed to let him stay on as her bodyguard.

"Your mother is in Polis waiting for us," Lexa relayed what one of the guards just informed her about.

"What is she doing there?"

"The same reason Titus wants me back in Polis immediately."

.

Clarke went to her room as soon as they got to Polis to see her mom. She had preferred to be with Lexa but they both agreed that they had to calm both her mom and Titus first.

"Are you alright?" Abby asked hugging her as soon as she came in.

"Mom, I'm fine," Clarke said. "You really didn't have to worry."

"Let me be the judge of that," Abby said giving her a quick once over to be sure there were no signs of injury. "What have you and Lexa been up to? We saw the explosion." She couldn't even begin to tell Clarke the fear she felt and having the hunch she was involved somehow.

"That was Pike's fault," Clarke said knowing that she would've done something different if he hadn't shown up.

"Pike? Isn't he in the dungeon?"

"That's what we all thought," Clarke said. "But he's dead now and won't cause any more trouble for anyone." She began to retell what had transpired leading up to the missile launch.

"Hey, you're back," Octavia said joining them. "I suppose you had something to do with that missile? What is it with you and missiles?"

"Pike launched it," Clarke repeated. "I had no other choice. Besides, it's over now and Pike won't be bothering us anymore."

"He's dead?" Octavia asked with alarm. "Where's Lexa?" She didn't wait for an answer and pulled Clarke behind her out of the room.

"What's going on?" Clarke asked quite concerned by Octavia's reaction.

"I just saw Bellamy outside your room," Octavia said heading towards Lexa's room. "If he heard that Pike is dead, he'll want to kill Lexa."

Clarke realized Lexa was in danger and ran towards Lexa's room leaving Octavia in the dust.

Octavia knew Clarke was fast but this was the fastest she had seen her run. She picked up her pace to catch up.

.

Lexa had an easier job of assuring Titus that all was well because he had to believe that she was doing what was good for them. She quickly dismissed him and had time to get changed and ready for Clarke to join her in her room. She had just finished and returned to her room when she came face to face with Bellamy who aimed a gun straight at her. "What's the meaning of this?"

"You killed Pike," he said angrily. "Blood must have blood."

"If you kill me, how do you plan to get out of here?" she asked calmly realizing that he had overpowered his guards and somehow blamed her for Pike's death.

"I'll find a way," he said. "Clarke was wrong to trust you. You waited for us to leave then killed him anyway."

"Do you even know why he is dead?" she asked still calm as ever. "Do you even want to know?"

"It doesn't matter, I swore to him that if he died, you would, too," he insisted.

"No she won't," Clarke said aiming her gun at his head. "Pike's dead because of what he did and not because of her."

"You would take her side on this?" he asked disappointed that she would still defend Lexa.

"I'm not taking her side," Clarke said walking towards Lexa to shield her. "You didn't hear the whole story so you don't know what really happened. Pike wanted to launch a nuclear missile that would have wiped out Polis. The fallout would have reached Arkadia and beyond."

"I don't believe he would do that," he asserted.

"He did," Clarke confirmed. "It would've killed Octavia for sure and harmed anyone out in the open in Arkadia." She had to remind him of that as she saw Octavia and her mother enter the room.

"Bellamy, stop being an idiot," Octavia said hoping her brother would lower the gun. She knew if Lexa wanted to, he would be dead by now.

"Pike didn't have to die," he said hanging to the belief that Pike was summarily killed for no cause.

"If you want to kill the person who killed him, then kill me," Clarke said. "I threw the knife at his heart as I said I would if he escaped."

Bellamy was shocked by that revelation along with Abby and Octavia.

"We have to end this vengeful way," Clarke continued. "If you killed me, wouldn't my mom kill you for it? Wouldn't Octavia kill my mom in return? My friends kill yours and vice versa until we are all wiped out? This has to end before that happens."

Octavia took that moment to disarm Bellamy and defuse the situation. She nodded to Clarke who lowered her gun as well.

"I just can't believe he would do that," he insisted.

"We have proof," Lexa spoke finally. "Clarke brought the books from the missile base."

"Are there any more of them?" Abby asked remembering that there were several from the nuclear apocalypse nearly a century ago.

"We don't know yet," Clarke admitted. "We brought the manuals to study them. So far only one has come online I think."

"Do you know who turned it on?" Octavia asked the obvious.

Clarke looked annoyed by the question so Lexa answered for her. "We are also trying to find that out."

"Do you think there will be more attacks?" Abby asked directing the question to Lexa.

"I will send riders to find out if any of the villages have noticed changes in their environments," Lexa replied. "We won't know until they return. For now, we can only hope that the failed attempt would dissuade whoever did this from trying again."

"Well, I guess we wait until you discover more from those," Octavia said pointing to the books and eager to get Bellamy out of the room. "We'll leave you to it."

"Bellamy, your actions here today won't go unpunished," Lexa noted. She looked at Clarke momentarily before continuing. "You are banned from coming back to Polis. A kill order will be in place after you leave and if you're seen within its perimeter, you will die." She waited for Clarke to object and defend him but when none came, she only watched as Octavia pushed her brother out of the room followed by Abby.

Clarke turned and gave Lexa a hug. She was relieved that Lexa hadn't been more severe in punishing him.

"Clarke, I do not need comforting," Lexa said.

"But I do," Clarke whispered in her ear. "I just almost lost you again." She felt Lexa relax a bit.

"But you didn't," Lexa said drawing Clarke into her arms for comfort. "You've saved me yet again."

They heard shuffling feet outside the door and the guards who have been stunned by Bellamy earlier had come in to check on Lexa.

"Leave us," Lexa commanded as Clarke moved slightly away from her. She watched as her guards exchanged confused looks. "We will discuss your failure later." She saw their identical worried looks knowing the consequences of not being able to stop an intruder from entering her room.

"What if I'm not around to save you?" Clarke asked leaning against Lexa when they were alone again and seated next to each other.

"Many have tried to kill me before," Lexa said. "None have yet succeeded."

"Don't you ever get tired of it?" Clarke asked wearily.

"I won't stop fighting as long as you won't," Lexa said encouragingly. She saw Clarke smile weakly before she buried her head on her shoulder.


	11. Chapter 11

Clarke fell asleep as she lay her head on Lexa's lap. She was exhausted by the day's ride and subsequent stand-off with Bellamy. She felt safe but then she began to relive the day's event in her dreams.

Lexa watched over Clarke as she slept. She was leafing through pages of one of the binders when she felt Clarke stir uncomfortably. She calmed her with a touch knowing that Clarke needed it to get past the events of the day. She looked up when she heard the door open and saw Titus come in.

"I'm sorry for the interruption," Titus began with an apology. "Your guards told me that the Skaikru boy forced his way in here."

"Yes, he did," Lexa confirmed. "No harm done but for now he is not welcome in Polis." She gave him a look that indicated a kill order was included.

"Does Clarke know?" he asked knowing how protective she was of her people.

Lexa knew what he was doing and didn't take the bait. "Have you discovered how Pike escaped?" She determined he was not in on it when he expressed surprise and assured her that he would find out for her earlier.

"He killed two of the guards and slipped out during the night," he explained. "We are sealing every possible routes he may have taken."

"Rotate the guards more frequently and have them be more vigilant," she ordered knowing that wasn't enough either but it would have to do until her enemies showed their hand. "Gather the ambassadors early tomorrow. We have important matters to discuss."

"Have these revealed anything?" he asked looking at the binders piled on the table.

"Clarke and I have not finished going through them yet," she said. "Is there anything else?" She watched as Titus took his leave and went back to studying what she could.

.

Lexa compared the maps from the binders with her collection and marked those that she could match the following morning. She was busy working on it that she didn't notice Clarke get up.

"Can I help?" Clarke offered seeing Lexa poring over her maps and concluding that she had made progress overnight.

"Come take a look at this," Lexa invited her over. She showed her the matching points and declared they needed to get visual confirmation but she was fairly confident she was right.

"You need to tell them not to touch anything," Clarke warned knowing that each location could potentially have a nuclear missile in them. She placed her hand on Lexa's back and felt the tension she bore. She rubbed Lexa's shoulder to try to ease it away.

Lexa agreed it would be dangerous for the scouts to go beyond looking at the spots she marked. "There are so many of them, we can't possibly stop them all if they become active."

"I need help to figure out how they can be remotely activated," Clarke said realizing that the previous night. "I'll need Monty's help for that."

"Send for him," Lexa said.

"Lexa, I need to go to Arkadia," Clarke explained. "He needs a computer to figure it all out."

"I've called for a meeting; I need you here," Lexa said.

"I'll be here but after that, I need to take these to Arkadia," Clarke said pointing to the items she determined she needed to show him.

"We'll discuss it later," Lexa said not yet willing to let Clarke leave. She knew they had no other option at the moment but hoped an alternative might present itself soon.

.

Clarke was headed to the meeting when she saw Murphy coming her way. She pretty much guessed why he had come to see her.

"It's impossible," he started. "If you really want to find out what that box holds, we need to get it to Arkadia."

Clarke knew he was right and hoped she could convince Lexa to take it with her.

"I can steal and take it there if you like," he offered.

"No, they'll kill you if you do that," she warned him. "I'll figure something out. John, promise me you won't steal it."

Murphy looked doubtful she would but eventually gave in. "Hurry."

"I will," she assured him. "Just don't do anything stupid and I'll get it done." She knew it wasn't going to be easy but with everything that's going on, there had to be a connection. She entered the throne room quite late and saw that the meeting was already in progress.

"Thank you for joining us Wanheda," Lexa said looking up momentarily. "Will you please explain what needs to be done?"

Clarke jumped in and described what the scouts should be looking for as tell-tale signs that a missile base is present in the identified locations. She emphasized that it was imperative that they be careful and not get too curious.

Titus translated all that into a direct order and dismissed the members. He waited for everyone to leave but knew and expected Clarke to hang back. "Is there anything else we can do?"

"Yes, there might be," Clarke began taking that opportunity to broach the subject. "Let me take the commander's box to Arkadia with me."

"Absolutely not," he forbade without hesitation.

"I believe that box is the key to understanding all of this," Clarke argued. "The first commander knew what happened then and how to fix it. We need to know how to stop the missiles. Lexa, you would want to know don't you?" She turned to her hoping that she would override Titus and allow the box to leave Polis.

"Why do you keep wanting to take the box away from us?" he asked angrily. "First you said it proves the she is one of your people and now you say you need it to stop the missiles."

"Because that's what the hologram said," Clarke reminded him. "She came to fix the problem remember? We may be on the verge of another nuclear catastrophe and she's the only one who knows enough about it to show us how to stop it."

"Lexa can stop it," he claimed confidently. "She has proven she can."

"She can't be in all places at once to do that if they are all active," Clarke countered.

"Enough! I will take the box to Arkadia myself and find the answers we need," Lexa spoke at last and made a definitive decision that surprised both Clarke and Titus. She didn't wait for either to react and walked out of the room.

.

Lexa leaned against her usual spot on the wall trying to collect her thoughts. She knew she was doing the right thing. She could see Clarke from afar coming towards her and wondered if her decision had anything to do with Clarke's own decision to go to Arkadia.

"I thought I'd find you here," Clarke said leaning on the wall next to Lexa. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"How else would Titus allow the box to leave Polis?"

"I just know that between what we found in that missile base and that box, we'll know what to do next," Clarke said hopefully.

"At the very least we'll learn what she had to say," Lexa said taking Clarke's hand in hers.

'I'm glad you're coming with me," Clarke said. "I was about to ask Octavia to keep an eye on you while I was away."

"I'm quite capable of taking care of myself," Lexa reminded her.

"I know," Clarke agreed. "I'm just not ready to lose you and would do anything to prevent it."

Lexa believed it because she felt the same about Clarke. "Your friend Murphy will be pleased to get his way."

Clarke smiled knowing she was right. "We should take Octavia with us; she'll appreciate seeing Lincoln."

Lexa remained silent after hearing his name.

"Are you still angry with him?" Clarke ventured to ask.

"His clan won't take him back and I can't have him as one of my guards," Lexa explained the distrust that lingers making him an outsider.

"I wouldn't mind having him in my clan," Clarke offered. "If he was, would you lift his kill order?"

Lexa was amused by how good Clarke was getting at negotiating especially such a subtle one. She gently nodded her agreement.

"Octavia will be pleased," Clarke said gratefully.

"Should I be worried about her brother?" Lexa asked knowing that he would still be bitter about something when they met again.

"Octavia and I can handle him," Clarke assured her. "But just in case, will you bring your guards with you?"

"I intended to bring both of ours," Lexa revealed.

Clarke wanted to object and say that she would be safe in Arkadia but thought it didn't hurt to have hers along to keep Lexa safe if needed.

.

Lexa and Clarke looked for Octavia at Indra's place. Sure enough she was there and while Lexa spoke with Indra, Clarke pulled Octavia for a private conversation.

"I need a favor," Clarke began. "Lexa and I are going to Arkadia and I need you to come with us."

Octavia quickly guessed why she needed to go with them. "I'll keep Bellamy out of her way. But what about Lincoln? Should I tell him to hide from her and her entourage?"

"No need, Lexa has lifted his kill order," Clarke revealed. "He's part of Skaikru now."

Octavia was surprised by the news. She knew that Lincoln had assimilated but nothing official had yet been done. "He'll like that."

Clarke smiled and gave Lexa a nod when it was settled between them and the trio bade Indra goodbye. Octavia gave Indra an extra hug before following them to the stables.

Lexa watched as the box and binders they were taking to Arkadia were securely strapped onto their packhorse. She could tell Titus was still hoping she would change her mind. "I will bring it back safely."

"I'm sure you would," Titus said. "But I much prefer your safe return."

"Don't worry too much," Lexa assured him. "I have Clarke with me along with Octavia and six of my best and loyal guards."

Titus knew that Clarke wouldn't let anything happen to her having seen it for himself.

Lexa watched as Clarke and Octavia arrive with Murphy and got on their horses to begin their journey. She gave Aden a quick nod as he came to see them off. "Look out for one another." She saw Titus and Aden bow in unison before heading off.

.

Lexa noticed that Clarke was unusually quiet. "Clarke, is something the matter?"

Clarke looked at Lexa as if she just appeared out of nowhere even though they've been riding side by side since they left Polis. "What if those aren't enough to figure it all out?" She looked at the packhorse ahead of them. "What if after all that, we still can't stop another nuclear apocalypse?"

"You're doing it again," Lexa warned gently. "You're overthinking it because you have nothing else to do. We will at the very least know more than we did before and make our decisions from there."

Clarke sighed knowing Lexa was right. She just couldn't shake the feeling she was missing something on top of another uneasy feeling that was similar to when they went to save the village.

"Is there something else bothering you?" Lexa was clearly concerned.

"I have the feeling that someone is following us," Clarke revealed looking around. "It's like when Pike appeared unexpectedly."

Lexa signaled the guard closest to them and gave orders to check around them for any signs of a stalker. She knew better than to dismiss Clarke's hunch knowing she didn't do so offhandedly. "We should set up camp here." She was familiar with the area and knew it would be safe.

Like clockwork, the guards quickly pitched the tents and started a fire. They made it look so easy.

"Clarke, time to prove to me you can hunt," Octavia challenged. She saw Lexa and Clarke exchange nods.

"Take Quark with you," Lexa said just as a precaution.

Both Clarke and Octavia didn't like being babysat but knew they had no choice. They headed off while Lexa made sure that their cargo was safe in her tent.

"Keep up," Octavia teased.

Clarke pulled out her knife which she brought this time. "I was about to say the same thing."

Quark opted to use his bow and arrow as they quickly spotted a potential prey. He kept an eye on Clarke who took her position to flank it with Octavia. He took the first shot but only made it bolt away.

Octavia took her shot but only caught it on its hind flank and made it turn the other way towards Clarke.

Clarke watched as the animal charged towards her and waited for the right moment to throw her knife at it. It stopped short by her feet.

"Wanheda, are you alright?" Quark asked rushing to her side. He had his bow drawn but unable to take the shot because of the trees around them.

"Alright, I have to admit that was really good," Octavia said pulling both knives out of their prey. "The kill is yours Clarke."

"Thanks to both of you for the assist," Clarke added.


	12. Chapter 12

Clarke returned and found Lexa watching the hologram from the box in her tent. "Lexa, we're back."

Lexa looked towards her before turning off the projection. "Who made the kill?" She was expecting Clarke to claim it.

"The three of us worked together and claim it equally," Clarke replied. "We got enough for everyone."

Lexa smiled deducing Clarke was being generous in giving credit to others.

"You recognize her don't you?" Clarke asked seeing her watching the hologram.

Lexa nodded. "She is Pramheda. I see her in my dreams and talk to her sometimes in my mind."

"Well, we can't talk to her hologram but at least we can soon hear what she's trying to say."

They heard hustling outside and Lexa followed Clarke out of the tent to watch the guards cook.

"This I have to see," Clarke said walking towards them as they prepared their porcine kill. She wanted to get pointers to get better at it.

Octavia walked up to Lexa and stood silently beside her for a moment. She eventually decided to start a conversation. "Thank you for lifting Lincoln's kill order."

"You should thank Clarke," Lexa said. "However, I can't extend the same to your brother."

"I don't blame you," Octavia accepted. "He brought it on himself by acting stupid."

"You're not like him," Lexa noted. "Are you sure he is your brother?"

Octavia chuckled softly. "I'm pretty sure he's my brother. He's been protective of me all my life and I love him for it. Even when he makes bad decisions because he wants to be the hero."

"A hero to your people by killing me?" Lexa asked pointedly.

"He's still angry about what happened at Mount Weather," Octavia tried to defend him.

"Then shouldn't I also be angry with him for slaughtering my people who only went to defend yours from the Ice Nation?" Lexa countered. "He obviously doesn't believe in Clarke's philosophy does he?" She saw the other girl shrug.

"It could also be because he blames you for Clarke leaving Arkadia," Octavia speculated.

"Clarke makes her own decisions; just like you decided to stay in Polis."

"He'll come around to accepting both eventually," Octavia said hopefully. "Until then, it's up to me and Clarke to keep you two apart."

.

Lexa watched Clarke slowly stir awake and smiled. She couldn't seem to tire of doing that and looked forward to it every morning they are together.

"I could get used to this," Clarke noted smiling back at her. She ran her fingers over Lexa's arm. "Are you ready?"

"I'm always ready," Lexa replied without hesitation giving her a quick kiss.

"I mean to find out what those hold for us," Clarke reminded her pointing to the items they were bringing to Arkadia. "Are you afraid of what we might find?"

"I'm not afraid," Lexa said. "Especially if you're with me."

"Always," Clarke promised. "I guess we should start breaking camp."

Lexa agreed and got up to get ready. She felt Clarke tug at her and was about to object when she noticed that Clarke was actually helping her get ready.

"I'm not only good at taking it off," Clarke teased and fastened the last part of her vest.

"Come out when you're ready," Lexa said as she walked out of the tent carrying the box and binders that hopefully contained what they needed to neutralize the emerging threat.

Clarke looked around the tent and realized she was going to miss it once they got to Arkadia. She would look for the airiness of it.

Lexa was watching her guards prepare for the next leg of their journey when Clarke approached her.

"Where's Octavia and Murphy?"

"Octavia said she'd ride ahead and let Marcus know we are coming," Lexa explained. "Murphy wanted to join her."

Clarke saw it as a prudent move by Octavia and looked forward to a smoother return to Arkadia.

"Ready?" Lexa asked moving towards her horse. She saw Clarke mount her horse ahead of her and smiled.

"As I'll ever be," Clarke replied giving her horse a slight kick to make it gallop.

Lexa knew it was going to be an interesting ride the rest of the way.

.

Clarke saw a vehicle approach them half-way through the clearing near Arkadia. She was hoping it was a welcoming party more than anything else. Because of its design, she couldn't tell who was in it and their accompanying guards took a defensive line.

Lexa, too, was slightly preparing for an assault but quickly relaxed when the vehicle stopped and Octavia jumped out of it.

"I would've ridden my horse but Kane insisted on this," Octavia announced as Kane got out from the driver side.

"Welcome Commander," he greeted them. "You grace us with your visit. If we had known sooner, we would've prepared properly."

"No need; I've come to ask for your clan's help," Lexa explained their sudden visit. "Clarke tells me you have the tools to unlock the mystery of these." She nodded towards their packhorse.

"At your service," Kane agreed without hesitation. He got back into the vehicle and drove back slowly so as not to tire the travelers too much.

Once they arrived, Abby ran up to Clarke and hugged her. Lexa looked on with a slight smile while Clarke tried to get her mom's attention to let her know they were in a hurry to get started.

"Why are you always in a rush?" Abby asked letting her go finally.

"Because the sooner we find out what's going on, the sooner we can fix it," Clarke explained. She saw the two people she needed and walked towards them.

"It's good to see you again Abby," Lexa said trying to smoothen things over. "Perhaps our next visit will be less pressing than it is now."

"Have you learned more since?" Abby wondered and saw Lexa shake her head in response. "I suppose you won't be staying long then."

"It all depends on what her friends can figure out," Lexa admitted.

"That's easy for them, they'll be done in no time," Octavia said not realizing Abby would've wanted any excuse to have them stay longer.

"Where is your brother?" Lexa asked noticing he was nowhere in sight.

"He's around here somewhere," Octavia said. "He's fine, don't worry about it." She remembered how Bellamy reacted when she told him earlier.

 _/flashback_

 _"_ _She's coming here? What for?" Bellamy asked not knowing if she had a change of heart and wanted to expel him from Arkadia as well or worse, kill him._

 _"_ _Clarke wanted her to," Octavia said plainly not really wanting to get into the details with him. "Look, just stay out of her way while she's here and you'll be fine."_

 _"_ _You're asking me to hide in my own land?" he asked angrily. "Or does she still consider this hers?"_

 _"_ _Will you calm down?" she entreated. "She and Clarke are coming here to find a way to stop missiles from landing all around us and I personally wouldn't get in their way if they can achieve that. Look, do it for Clarke."_

 _Bellamy grudgingly agreed to behave while Lexa was in Arkadia._

 _/flashback_

"Perhaps he is your brother if he cares and listens to you," Lexa said.

"I guess it's an unbreakable bond between siblings," Octavia reasoned. "Do you have any?"

Lexa considered replying but before she could, Kane returned and led them to her sleeping quarters.

.

Lexa stood in the room that Kane had shown her as her accommodation while she was visiting.

"It's not like what you're used to but it's the best room we have," Kane noted trying to be hospitable.

"This is very generous Marcus," Lexa accepted graciously. "Thank you."

"If you need anything, just let me know," he offered. "I'm sure either Clarke or Octavia can show you around."

"We've got it covered," Octavia assured him ushering him out of the room. "If you'd rather sleep under the stars, let me know. I know a perfect spot for it."

"Perfect spot for what?" Clarke asked joining them after talking with Monty and Raven. She had handed Monty the binders she brought and hoped he could make better sense of them. Now she had to convince Lexa to hand over the box to Raven for her to start working on it.

Octavia sensed that she had to leave to give them private time so she gave Clarke one reassuring nod before heading out to see what her brother was up to.

"I suppose you want to take the box with you," Lexa guessed correctly.

"Raven has agreed to take a look and fix it," Clarke confirmed. "She'll need it at her workstation."

"I'll have to post one of my guards," Lexa agreed with the condition. "The box is not to leave that room without my permission."

Clarke nodded her agreement and they took the box to Raven's to begin work.

"You weren't kidding when you said it needed work," Raven said after her preliminary assessment. "I'll get it back working as soon as I can."

"Remember, only you working on this," Clarke reminded her. "There's going to be a guard outside the door at all times."

Only after seeing her agree did Lexa leave with Clarke. "Where's Murphy?"

"I don't know where he's gone off to," Clarke admitted. "The important thing is Raven is fixing it."

.

Lexa once again found herself standing in the room with four walls that was to be her room while in Arkadia. She clearly would have preferred to sleep outside but knowing that it had been home to Clarke, she decided to give it a try.

"Missing Polis already?" Clarke teased when she noticed Lexa's pensive mood. "I know this room isn't what you were hoping for but at least it has a porthole.

Lexa remained silent hoping not to offend Clarke in any way about her opinion of how she lived up in space. "Where will you be sleeping?" She noticed the small bed and knew it was going to be a tight squeeze not that she really minded.

Clarke was about to answer when her mom arrived to see how Lexa was doing. "Mom, if you don't mind I'll sleep here while we're here. Lexa's not used to this and she could use the company."

Abby wanted to be equally hospitable as Lexa was when they were in Polis so she agreed. "Will your guards be standing outside through the night?"

"They will take shifts as they do in Polis," Lexa revealed. "Would that be a problem?"

"No, not at all," Abby replied. "I'm just surprised they let me in without stopping me."

"They have orders to allow you, Marcus and Octavia to come see me," Lexa revealed. She could tell that Abby felt honored to be included.

"Well, it's getting late and you two had traveled far," Abby said making her exit. She gave Clarke a quick hug before leaving them.

"Will she be returning during the night to check on you?" Lexa wondered remembering the last time.

"We can always lock the door," Clarke replied doing precisely that.

"My guards won't be able to come in to protect me," Lexa noted.

"Do you need protection from me?" Clarke asked feigning offense.

Lexa knew she walked right into that and had to think fast to get out of it. "Perhaps we should find out." She moved towards Clarke with the sole purpose of claiming her. She kissed her with intensity that made Clarke yield wholeheartedly. "I think I am more than capable of protecting myself from you."

Clarke couldn't think of a comeback and just tried to stay upright by taking a few steps away from Lexa.

"Are all the beds here this small?" Lexa asked appearing unaffected by their kiss. "I can sleep on the floor if you'd like to keep the bed."

Clarke finally gained her composure and walked towards the wall and pressed a button that revealed another bed above it. "See, enough beds for both of us." She climbed up and took the top bunk.

Lexa took the lower bunk and tried to get some sleep. She hoped that by keeping still she would eventually doze off but no such luck. She just stared at the underside of the top bunk and sighed.

"Can't sleep?" Clarke asked from her bed. She got off and came down to check on Lexa. She couldn't sleep either so she got into bed with Lexa.

"I don't want you to fall out," Lexa warned gently as Clarke wiggled into a comfortable position.

"I won't because you won't let me," Clarke said confidently. She felt Lexa wrap her arms around her and went right to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Clarke hovered over Raven as she worked. She was anxious and wanted to see what Becca had to say that could help her and Lexa fix the problem as soon as possible.

In contrast, Lexa was showing interest by studying the things around the room. She could see why Murphy kept insisting this was the place to work on the box to restore its audio.

"Do you want to get this done right or not?" Raven asked finally. She had been diligently trying to fix it without destroying its content by accident due to its complex circuitry but Clarke hanging around was making her nervous.

"Clarke, will you show me around Arkadia?" Lexa suggested. "I would like to get to know it better."

Clarke was vexed that Lexa would suggest so at that moment until she read into what she was actually trying to do. She took a deep breath and agreed leaving Raven alone to do her thing.

Raven gave Lexa an appreciative nod. She was glad to finally have freedom to tinker.

Clarke and Lexa were walking along the hallway when they saw Bellamy headed their way. Clarke turned and asked Lexa to stay while she went to talk with him.

"I heard you were back," Bellamy began looking suspiciously at Lexa.

"Only to get some answers,' Clarke confirmed turning to look at Lexa as well.

"Why did she have to come?" he asked.

"Because whatever we find out here affects her," she explained. "I trust her. Why can't you?"

"Because your judgment is clouded when it comes to her," he reasoned. "Why won't you believe me that she's going to hurt you again?"

"Just like you won't believe me about Pike," she countered. "I was there when he launched the missile; he didn't care who it affected including our own."

Bellamy conceded that point before gruffly excusing himself to go on patrol. He walked past Lexa eyeing her with no less distrust than before.

"What'd I miss?" Octavia asked walking up to Clarke after the former turned the corner and almost walked into her.

"Where were you? You were supposed to help me keep Bellamy away from Lexa," Clarke reminded her.

"Sorry, I was with Lincoln," Octavia explained. "Did something happen?" She looked at Lexa who was standing not too far away.

"Never mind," Clarke dismissed seeing that nothing bad happened.

.

Lexa grew restless when days passed with no good progress on both Monty and Raven's ends. There was a short confirmation from Monty that there were more missile bases and that they were interconnected but they still didn't know who turned one of them active. So to keep her mind off it, she engaged Lincoln in a mock battle exercise.

"Commander, thank you for lifting my kill order," Lincoln said gratefully as he prepared. "And for allowing me to join Skaikru."

"That was Clarke's idea," Lexa clarified.

"But it was by your authority," he reminded her.

Lexa nodded. "Now it's time to see if you haven't gone soft living among them," she said picking up a staff so as not to accidentally injure him with a sword.

"I've kept up," he assured her. He looked towards Octavia and Clarke who were watching them at a distance.

Lexa turned to look at their audience, too. "I'm afraid we both want to impress them so there will be no holding back." She took a defensive stance and nodded to Lincoln to take the first strike. She easily blocked it and began to strike him with efficient blows that quickly disarmed him. She waited for him to reclaim his weapon. "Are you holding back?"

Lincoln had to admit that he grossly overestimated his abilities especially going up against her. He refocused and did better managing to really get Lexa on the defensive by disarming her this time.

"I guess they're even," Octavia noted standing beside Clarke and apparently keeping score.

"Not yet," Clarke said knowing Lexa had a move left. She watched as Lexa dodged Lincoln's next strikes and managed to pick up her weapon as she somersaulted towards it. She surprised Lincoln with that move and got the upper hand on him knocking his legs out from under him.

"She's pretty good," Octavia said quite impressed. "I've only heard about her fighting skills and if this is just practice, I can only imagine a real fight."

Clarke smiled knowing just how good she really was. She watched as Lexa extended her arm to help Lincoln back on his feet.

"Maybe I should join them and make it more challenging for her," Octavia said walking towards the pair.

"Hey, that's not fair," Clarke called out after her. She felt two against one was an unfair advantage over Lexa. She waited for her to reject the challenge but saw her accept instead. She looked around hoping that one of the guards would step in to help but instead just saw them stand and cheer her on.

"What's going on?" Raven asked taking the spot Octavia just vacated.

"Lincoln and Octavia decided to fight together against Lexa," Clarke replied. "Did you make any progress?"

"I'm running a diagnostic," Raven said. "It won't be done in a while so I thought I'd stretch my legs."

"Sorry for trying to rush you," Clarke apologized. "I just want to find out what is on it as soon as we can."

Raven was about to say something but seeing how absorbed Clarke was with the ongoing fight, she chose not to bother her.

.

Clarke watched quietly as Lexa cleaned up after the match. She was trying to remember where either Lincoln or Octavia struck her to see if there was bruising.

"I'm fine," Lexa said noticing her scrutiny. "Would you like me to strip naked so you can be sure?" She saw Clarke blush and smiled.

"You really shouldn't let them do that," Clarke managed to say. "It wasn't a fair fight."

"In battle, I can't tell my enemies to take their turn," Lexa explained. "It will not always be a single combat. Besides, I think your mother will be busy tending to both of them for a while."

Clarke smiled despite her intent to appear disapproving of what Lexa did.

"Come on, let's go see how they're doing," Lexa suggested. As she was about to step out of their room, she bumped into Raven.

"I think I've found a way to get audio without ruining it," Raven said. "It wasn't easy because when I plugged in speakers, it almost erased it. I think there's a tamper-proof mechanism."

"How much was erased?" Clarke asked concerned they lost considerable information.

"Not much, just the start of it," Raven assured her as they walked to her station. "I think you already figured that part out with Murphy."

Clarke was relieved. "So how did you get it to work?"

"Well, I created an audio program to read in the image projection," Raven explained. "Then it turns around and translate the lip movements."

Clarke and Lexa waited for her to begin and they watched the undamaged hologram projection.

/hologram/

 _I created A.L.I.E in the hopes of using it to improve human lives. But the first version was too logical, too binary and I had to abandon it. I should have erased it when I could but now it's too powerful and has breached her containment and reached the web. I've asked Chris to launch the poison pill virus but she managed to evade it. She's hacked her way through and launched nuclear missiles to solve what she considered the problem of too many people in the world. I hope that A.L.I.E 2.0 can stop her. She's humanity's only hope now._

/hologram/

The three of them watched as Becca captured on video how she placed the neural AI into her neck after injecting herself with a black liquid. Clarke realized that Lexa had the chip having felt the bump on the nape of her neck before.

/hologram/

 _I can feel A.L.I.E. 2.0 surge through me and I don't feel the same logical inflexibility I saw in A.L.I.E. which is a good sign. I can feel the effects of her program but I'm still able to feel for others as I hope I would. Now it's time for me to journey back to Earth and I hope I'm not too late._

/hologram/

"That explains a lot," Raven was the first to speak.

"What do you mean?" Clarke asked wondering what she meant.

"I've seen that device she used," Raven began. "But it's not quite like that because it's just a pill. A pill that Jaha has been handing out to his followers."

"How do you know that?" Clarke asked trying to grasp what they had just learned and what Raven was telling her.

"He gave me one. I took it and saw her," Raven said pointing to Becca. "Except she was wearing a red suit and apparently she is using Becca as an avatar. She was the first A.L.I.E. that unleashed the nuclear apocalypse."

"The first commander set off the missiles?" Lexa asked trying to grasp what they were discussing.

"No, not her," Clarke clarified. "The first program she created. It's using her image to communicate with those who have ingested the pill." She suddenly realized that Raven having taken one could be under A.L.I.E.'s control and drew her gun at her.

"Clarke, what are you doing?" Raven asked defensively and watched Lexa draw her sword.

"How do I know you're not under A.L.I.E.'s control?" Clarke asked figuring out that was what the pill was for.

"Because I blasted it out of my head with an EMP," Raven said. "I'm myself Clarke; you can trust me."

Lexa relaxed when she saw Clarke lower her gun.

.

Lexa and Clarke conferred while Raven waited to learn her fate. She sat nervously as they took their time.

"How do you know you can trust her?" Lexa asked knowing that she didn't after learning Raven had been under A.L.I.E.'s mind control.

"Because if she were under her control, wouldn't she try to destroy the box or harm you?" Clarke reasoned. "You heard Becca, only you can stop A.L.I.E. Besides, if she was still connected to her, then I'd think Jaha would already be at the door trying to do something terrible to us."

"Why would Jaha ally himself to her?" Lexa asked. She wondered if he was under the influence or was doing it of his own free will.

"I don't know what he's up to but we need to keep him from learning about that chip in you," Clarke said. "I think if he finds out, he'll let A.L.I.E. know and she'll try to kill you."

"I'm not afraid," Lexa said. "Let her come."

"It's not like that," Clarke tried to explain. "There's something implanted on your neck just like Becca." She pulled Lexa out of the room and gave the guard strict orders to keep Raven inside before taking her to med bay.

"Now is not the time to check on Lincoln and Octavia," Lexa noted.

"That's not why we're here," Clarke said pushing her into a side room before anyone noticed them. She took a device and started to scan the back of Lexa's head. She moved the monitor over to show her. "See that, that's the thing she implanted before she returned. That's A.L.I.E. 2.0."

"The commander's spirit," Lexa whispered. She had some vague idea of its existence after she was chosen and underwent the transplant.

"What are you two doing here?" Abby asked walking in on them. She looked at the monitor and saw the chip embedded in Lexa's spine. "What have you done?"

"Mom, it's not what you think," Clarke said pulling her in then quickly closing the door behind her. "We didn't do this."

"Then who?" Abby asked wanting to understand what she was seeing.

Clarke looked at Lexa for permission before telling her all about what they've found out just moments ago about Becca, A.L.I.E. and the nuclear disaster that almost wiped out everyone on Earth.

"So she knows how to stop A.L.I.E.?" Abby asked seeing the sharp contrast between the two. One was obviously a technologically advanced virtual being while Lexa was none of that.

"We haven't figured that out yet," Clarke conceded. "As long as we don't let it out that we know especially to Jaha, we have some time to work things out."

"Would you consider telling Marcus? He might have ideas on how to deal with Thelonius," Abby suggested.

Clarke looked at Lexa for her opinion knowing that it was easily getting out of hand having to tell more people now.

"I trust him," Lexa said agreeing to bring him into their circle. She was about to follow Abby to find him when Clarke stopped her.

"Maybe we can use this to scan Raven and see if that pill is still in her," Clarke suggested.

"Would she agree to the test?" Lexa wondered. She knew although she could compel Raven to do so, she didn't want to overtly subjugate her in front of her clan.

"To regain my trust, she'll have to," Clarke said. "Besides, I think she'd want to know if her EMP idea worked."

.

Clarke related what they learned from the holographic recording a second time to Kane while her mom listened quietly. She looked at Lexa who was obviously still trying to process what they discovered. She wished they were alone so she could help her deal with such a bombshell.

"So you think that A.L.I.E. is behind the attempted missile launch?" Kane asked showing a quicker grasp of the connections.

"Yes, I think she's trying to finish what she started," Clarke guessed referring to Becca's declaration of A.L.I.E.'s erroneous logic.

"But why now?" Abby asked. "If she wanted to wipe us all out, why did she wait so long?"

"Because she was cut off," Lexa finally spoke up. "She was isolated after the first missiles launched."

"Yeah, the resulting EMP knocked everything offline and she couldn't connect remotely anymore," Clarke concluded.

"And someone turned her back on," Kane added. He had no proof but he had a rising suspicion that Jaha was involved.

"So let's turn her back off," Abby suggested.

"I don't think it's that simple," Clarke noted. "We don't know where she is and if Raven is right, she's using the pills to further her objectives by controlling people."

"Raven?" Abby and Kane asked in surprise not realizing she had been involved long before Lexa's box arrived.

"Jaha gave her one of the pills," Clarke revealed. "She said it looks like the AI embedded in the commander. I think it's a prototype and A.L.I.E. is using it to get around."

"How will we know who has one?" Kane asked realizing anybody could possibly be under A.L.I.E.'s influence.

"I was thinking maybe the same way we detected hers," Clarke said looking at Lexa.

"Thelonius would suspect we're on to him," Kane warned. "We need to find another more subtle way of detecting them."

"We can study one," Abby suggested. "It'll give us a better understanding how it works and how to counteract it."

Clarke wondered if they could get Raven to help with that. "Once we've cleared Raven, I think she can ask Jaha for one."

"He won't just hand her one after she destroyed the one she took?" Lexa asked remembering what Raven said.

"Let's just make sure she is free of it first," Clarke said deciding it was time for her to confirm Raven's loyalties.

.

Lexa watched with interest as Abby and Clarke subjected Raven to a full body scan. She wondered why that was but chose not to question their thoroughness.

"She's clean," Clarke declared after they were done. "Mom, can we test her blood?" She remembered Becca had used a black liquid and seen Lexa's blood concluding it was necessary for either one to work.

"Are we done yet?" Raven asked as she let Abby draw her blood.

"What's it like?" Kane asked out of curiosity. He listened intently as Raven related how at first it was blissful but then A.L.I.E. got more demanding and wanted to take over.

"She's looking for something," Raven revealed. "She thinks it's here."

"The computers," Clarke said suddenly realizing the danger. "We have to go talk to Monty." She rushed off with Lexa and Raven running after her.

Kane and Abby stayed behind deciding to discuss the implications of what they've just learned. They agreed that they had to maintain the appearance of normalcy while the kids figured more.


	14. Chapter 14

Clarke charged into the room where Monty and Jasper were busily working together to figure out the connections between the missile bases. "Stop! You have to stop."

"Why?" Monty asked clearly confused.

"I think A.L.I.E. is in our computers and used it to access the missile base," Clarke revealed her quickly forming theory. She saw Monty and Jasper exchange looks.

"You may be right," Monty began. "I actually traced the access back to one of the stations here. That's why we're putting up firewalls."

Clarke was relieved to hear that they had figured enough out to take precautions. "Will you be able to block her from accessing the other missile bases?"

"What do you think we've been doing all this time?" Jasper asked acidly. He felt Raven's hand on his shoulder and he calmed down a bit.

Lexa watched the interaction quietly sensing there was a story behind the animosity between the two.

"Why don't you leave us to work on this," Raven suggested trying to ease the tension in the room.

"I got this," Monty assured her as she headed out the door. He looked at Lexa who gave him an approving nod.

"At least we now know how that missile base became active," Clarke said when Lexa stepped into the corridor with her.

Lexa agreed with a nod and stood face to face with Clarke. "Do you think we have enough time to prevent her from gaining access to the others?"

"If there's anyone who could, it's Monty," Clarke confirmed. "I guess all we can do is wait." She was about to walk away when the door opened and Raven came out.

"Oh, you're still here," Raven said seeing them. "I'm free of suspicion right?"

"I'm sorry, I had to be sure," Clarke apologized for her earlier reaction.

"I would've done the same," Raven said dismissing the incident. "Now if you don't mind, I have to go see Jaha about a pill." She walked away and went looking for him.

"Are you sure she won't take the pill again?" Lexa asked wondering why she was so eager to get one.

Clarke knew it was risky but had to trust Raven. She hoped it wasn't in vain because with what she already knew about Lexa, it was dangerous for A.L.I.E. to gain control again and discover that A.L.I.E. 2.0 is in Lexa.

.

Lexa sat cross-legged on the bed meditating while Clarke paced back and forth anxiously as they waited for word from Raven. "You're tiring yourself for nothing," Lexa finally said.

"How can you be so calm after everything we discovered today?" Clarke asked still getting worked up.

"It takes time to absorb," Lexa admitted. "But nothing seems to be insurmountable yet."

Clarke suddenly remembered she was supposed to help Lexa deal with things but hadn't done so yet. She silently scolded herself for not being more supportive. "Do you have any questions about anything?"

Lexa took Clarke's hand and led her to sit on the couch nearby. "I'll let you know if I have any questions but right now, I think I understand more than you think."

"How?" Clarke wondered as she waited for Lexa to explain.

"You seem to forget that I went through my ascension and know what happened then," Lexa reminded her. "When I took the time to watch the hologram in my tent, her memories came back to me."

"All of them?" Clarke asked curiously.

"Not all of them," Lexa replied. "I remember the reason and the feelings she had when she implanted the commander's spirit in her. It was enough to understand what just happened. The memories are buried deep and only surface when needed."

"Because they're in your long-term memory," Clarke theorized. "So you really do have all the memories of the previous commanders." She was beginning to understand what the AI chip was capable of.

"They come to me when I'm asleep or when I'm trying to make an important decision," Lexa continued.

"What was it like when you first received the AI chip?" Clarke asked. "I mean the commander's spirit." She hastily corrected herself for treating it with less respect.

Lexa smiled slightly knowing that it was merely a piece of technology for Clarke and her people while it was more than that to hers. "It was overwhelming at first when all the memories and voices surged through my mind but it eventually slowed down and I could choose what to remember and hear. It does help me think faster on my feet especially when in combat."

It was Clarke's turn to smile appreciating her confidence in sharing and her strength in bearing such a technology. She still firmly believed that Lexa was smart with or without the chip. It made sense that it helped her but no amount of it could make her who she is.

"Do you have any more questions?" Lexa asked.

"You wouldn't happen to know how you are supposed to defeat A.L.I.E. do you." Clarke wondered if Becca left a plan at the very least.

"I don't," Lexa confessed unable to extract that portion of her vast memory. "I think Pramheda wanted to destroy her but after looking for so long, she thought it was gone along with everything else."

"That's why she didn't prepare any of the next commanders for it," Clarke concluded. "The computers were all down and she didn't know where A.L.I.E. was. She was dormant for nearly a century until the Ark arrived." She felt a little guilty if that was indeed the case.

Lexa correctly guessed what Clarke was thinking and wanted to ease her guilt. "The Ark would have come back eventually and it holds tools that we can also use to complete Pramheda's mission."

Clarke was amazed at how perceptive Lexa was. She wondered if it was inherent to her or due to the chip. She found that she was struggling more than Lexa with what they discovered.

"Do you feel differently about me now?" Lexa asked finally. She thought it might after hearing what Raven told them about the effects of the pill. She was worried that Clarke would be afraid or lose trust in her because of it.

Clarke thought deeply before answering. She looked into Lexa's green eyes trying to find the one she loved in them and when she found her, she had a firm answer. "No. I still love you."

Lexa was relieved and didn't mind showing it. "I'm glad." She was delighted when Clarke moved to embrace her. She reclined a little as Clarke snuggled over her.

"Are you worried about A.L.I.E.?" Clarke wondered looking up to her.

"No but I would like to know what she is planning," Lexa replied honestly.

"I think I can help you with that," Clarke said with a smile and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Let's go check on my friends and get some ideas."

.

Clarke purposefully headed to find her friends and intended to get answers one way or another. She wasn't going to let Jasper's negativity towards her delay anything anymore.

Lexa walked at pace with her and knew that determined look on her face. She only stopped when she heard a guard call out to her. She was glad when Clarke stop, too, so she could see what he wanted.

Clarke watched and waited as the guard reported something to Lexa. It didn't look good when she saw her clench her jaw.

"He says something is wrong with my horse," Lexa relayed.

"Go, see what it is," Clarke said with an assuring hand on Lexa's arm. "I'll take care of it and get things going until you are able to join us."

Lexa looked around her and noted that no one was looking before leaning in for a quick kiss. "I won't be long."

Clarke smiled and watched Lexa take off towards the stables. If she wasn't intent on getting answers, she would've followed her and see what was wrong with the horse. She was quite fond of it as well. She was still thinking about it when she heard Raven call out to her.

"I got some," Raven declared proudly walking up to Clarke and showing her three pills in her hand.

"How did you manage to get that many?" Clarke asked concerned that it might raise suspicion from Jaha.

"I told him I might share it with Monty and Jasper which he thought would be a good idea."

"And you're sure you didn't take one?" Clarke asked warily wanting to be certain she was clean.

"You can test me again if you like," Raven replied. "But after my first experience with it, I'm not going to take another. She took away most of my memories of Finn; the good ones and left the bad ones."

Clarke felt for Raven and gave her a hug. "We'll make A.L.I.E. pay for that."

"So what do we do with these?" Raven handed the chips to Clarke.

"Let's go see my mom," Clarke suggested. They both went looking for her and found her with Kane.

"It must be related," Abby stated emphatically. "I know everyone onboard the Ark and no one should have black blood."

"Who has black blood?" Clarke asked. She had already made that connection earlier and considered it a tell-tale sign of A.L.I.E.'s influence.

"Thelonius," Abby revealed showing them her recent data on him.

"How did you get that?" Clarke asked in surprise.

"I managed to convince him that he was overdue for a physical," Abby explained. "He said his blood was darker than usual because he's been having a hard time breathing since his crash."

Clarke was obviously impressed by her mother's cunning initiative. "So we have these chips and a sample of black blood. What now?"

"Let's put them together and see what happens," Kane suggested. Abby and Clarke looked at him with mirror expressions. "It was just a thought."

"It's brilliant," Abby said and proceeded to put one of the chips near Jaha's blood. They watched as it activated and reach out for the blood to engorge itself.

"So that's how it powers itself," Clarke observed. "How does it communicate with A.L.I.E. and control people?"

"These tentacles look like it can clamp on to the nervous system," Abby speculated. "It must behave like a parasite changing the host's biology to power itself and send commands to control the host's mind."

"Is that why when I turned it off my nose bled with black ooze?" Raven asked.

"And why your blood is normal again," Clarke confirmed.

"So what do we do, blast everyone with EMP?" Raven asked. "I don't think we have enough power to generate enough to deal with all those who are infected."

"We should identify who and round them up," Clarke suggested. "Then we can probably figure out how much EMP we need to generate."

"That might work," Raven agreed. "I can start work on it." She saw the other three give her the green light to proceed so she headed back to her workstation.

"Clarke, there's something we need to talk to you about," Abby began looking at Kane for support.

"Sure," Clarke accepted. "But can we wait for Lexa? She's missing out on all this information."

"It is about Lexa," Kane continued for Abby. "Perhaps it's best that we don't reveal any more to her."

"Why not?" Clarke asked seeing no reason to keep her in the dark.

"She has a chip," Abby reminded her. "We don't know if we can trust it if it was based on A.L.I.E. and what influence it has on her."

"Mom, Becca programmed that chip differently," Clarke tried to explain. "She's supposed to defeat A.L.I.E. and don't forget that Lexa helped me destroy the nuclear missile that A.L.I.E. was trying to launch."

"But we don't know if we can count on someone as heartless as she is," Abby tried to argue.

Clarke seethed at that description by her mom. She knew she once did the same but had seen and learned more about Lexa since. "She's not heartless mom! I know her and I've seen her compassion for her people. She's even allowed us to become part of that."

"It's just a precaution," Kane intervened between the two. "Lexa probably doesn't need to know everything and it's for her safety."

"How is it for her safety?" Clarke asked incredulously. "She needs all the help she can get to fight A.L.I.E. and prevent another catastrophe."

"It just seems like she doesn't feel for people like we do," Abby said trying to appeal to Clarke's own caring nature.

"I'll prove to you that she does feel," Clarke declared and stormed off.

.

Lexa was finally able to determine what had upset her horse. She ordered her guard to replace everything in the stall to make it more comfortable. She was speaking calmly to it before leading it back. She was so occupied she didn't notice Clarke arrive.

"Commander," Clarke called out to her. "Can we talk?" She saw Lexa nod to her guard to take over before walking towards her.

"What's the matter?" Lexa asked seeing that she was upset about something.

Clarke walked away from the stable so that they can speak in private away from prying ears. "I need you to answer a question and be very honest."

"I'm always honest with you," Lexa said trying to think of what could have her in such a state.

"Do you love me?" Clarke blurted out the question. She swallowed hard while she waited.

"Clarke, what is this about?" Lexa asked with concern. "Why are you asking me this now?"

"Just answer the question. And don't give me that 'love is weakness' excuse to avoid answering me."

Lexa was taken aback and didn't know how to react. She couldn't think of any scenario that would prompt Clarke to demand an answer. "Clarke, you know how I feel about you." She decided to tread lightly with an indirect answer.

"Then say it," Clarke insisted looking desperate with each non-answer from her.

Lexa took a step towards Clarke hoping to ease her anxiety but instead caught her as she fell limp in her arms. She saw the arrow sticking behind her back and spotted the shooter quickly enough. She called out to her guards and ordered them to catch him. "Bring him to me alive!" She carefully pulled the arrow and sniffed the tip. She stabbed it to the ground when she recognized the smell of poison on it. She broke off the tip leaving it buried in the ground.

"Commander," Lincoln called out as he approached. He saw Clarke fall after being shot and offered to help.

"Help me take her to med bay," Lexa ordered. She could see that the poison was quickly taking effect and told Lincoln that she would follow after collecting the necessary items to create an antidote.


	15. Chapter 15

Clarke drifted in and out of consciousness as she was rushed to the med bay. But she distinctly remembered Lexa's angry face hovering over her and seeing her walk away. She tried to grab on to her to prevent her from leaving but was unable to even lift her hand. She regretted demanding an answer and feared that she had driven Lexa away because she wanted to prove her mom wrong.

"Clarke can you hear me?" Abby asked trying to gain her attention.

Clarke groggily replied with a nod if it even was that. She was struggling to stay conscious and was failing miserably until she succumbed and drifted off to sleep.

"What happened?" Abby asked Lincoln who delivered her daughter to her.

"Poison," Lincoln replied sadly. He got out of the way as Abby hooked Clarke up to a machine.

"What kind?" she asked knowing it was important to use the right antidote. She held her daughter's limp hand and felt helpless as she watched her weak vitals on the monitor.

"Only the commander knows," he said. "She has gone to get the cure."

After dressing her wound, Abby decided she had to do something in the meantime so she drew some blood from Clarke to analyze it but couldn't focus such that she was dropping things in her lab.

"She'll pull through," Kane said picking up after Abby. "Lexa will return with the antidote and Clarke will be her usual self."

Abby broke down in tears. "If I hadn't questioned her judgment, she wouldn't have gone out there. She could die if Lexa doesn't get back in time."

Kane pulled her into his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. "At least Clarke was right about one thing, Lexa does care even if she has an AI chip in her."

"What if Lexa decides not to return because we doubted her?" she worried.

"She may yet surprise us," Kane said reassuringly. He silently prayed that he was right.

.

Lexa returned as soon as she could with what she needed and knew there was no time to waste. She turned a corner and found herself face to face with Bellamy. She tried to walk around him but he blocked her path.

"I think you've overstayed your welcome," he said sternly.

"It's not up to you," she said attempting to push her way past him.

"It is when you hurt my people," he insisted and signaled for two of his men to help block her. "You beat up my sister and now Clarke is close to death."

"Octavia chose to challenge me," she clarified. "As for Clarke, I had nothing to do with that."

"It was one of your guards who shot her," he said. "Don't your guards follow your orders?"

"He wasn't under my orders when he shot her," she said angrily. "And I will find out who made him do it after I take care of Clarke."

"We can take care of her," he claimed.

"I don't have time for this Bellamy!" she said. She quickly dispatched the two men who tried to stop her. "Get out of my way!" She would have gotten past him easily if she wasn't stunned from behind.

Bellamy looked in disbelief at Jaha who turned his stun stick off as Lexa fell to the ground.

"You should be more decisive if you want her to leave," Jaha said looking at A.L.I.E. for her approval.

"What have you done?" Bellamy asked checking on her. He was relieved to feel a pulse and wondered why Jaha would do that.

"She doesn't belong here," Jaha said. "She has to leave and make sure she has no reason to come back."

Bellamy knew she would be enraged when she regained consciousness so he decided to lock her up until he could figure out how to make her leave.

.

Clarke was exhibiting toxic delirium and mumbling while Abby tended to her. She was clearly getting weaker but there was nothing to be done except to keep her alive until the antidote arrived.

"She's a fighter," Kane said assuring Abby with a squeeze on her shoulder.

"I'm afraid she's about to give up," Abby said. "She was calling for Lexa earlier and now she's calling for her dad. She didn't call for me."

"Because she knows you're right here for her," he supposed.

"How is she?" Octavia asked having just returned with Lincoln with some remedies he thought might work until Lexa returned. She didn't need a verbal answer seeing Abby's worried look.

Bellamy joined them abruptly and offered a container of liquid. "Lexa brought this for Clarke."

"The antidote?" Abby asked for confirmation suddenly uplifted. "How much of it does she need?"

"I don't know," Bellamy replied avoiding Octavia's inquiring gaze. "She didn't say."

"Where is she?" Octavia voiced her question when she noticed her brother's evasive behavior. "Why didn't she bring it here?"

"She went to look for the shooter," Bellamy lied.

Abby wondered how much to administer and decided to use a little to see its effect.

Octavia signaled Lincoln to follow her out of med bay leaving Clarke in her mom's care.

"Don't you want to see if it works?" Lincoln asked as he followed her down the corridor.

"Something's off," she noted. "The commander wouldn't just drop off the antidote without instructions much less checking on Clarke's condition. I'm afraid Bellamy did something bad to her."

Lincoln thought it was odd but didn't think to question his commander's actions. "What do you want to do?"

"You search that way," Octavia replied pointing left then taking the right to look for Lexa.

.

Lexa regained consciousness and immediately checked for the antidote she was carrying only to find it gone. She looked around her and realized she was in a holding cell. She checked to see if she could use the air vent to escape but no such luck. She just hoped that Bellamy had taken the antidote to give it to Clarke.

"He wants to be the hero" Octavia had said ran through her head.

She studied the door to find any weak spot but obviously it didn't have any. She decided she would try to overpower whoever shows up to check on her so she started to bang on the door.

"Lexa!" Octavia said when she heard and came to check on the noise. She had been checking each cell on her search.

"Get me out of here!" Lexa demanded.

"Only if you promise not to kill my brother," Octavia pleaded quickly realizing what he had done. "Please, Clarke won't want you to kill him." She waited until Lexa agreed before opening the door.

Lexa sprung out of the cell like a cat and brushed past Octavia. She was rushing to med bay to see what condition Clarke was in.

"Lexa, slow down," Octavia called out rubbing her still sore shoulder. "Abby gave her the antidote." She figured that by telling her that it would dampen her anger.

"Commander," Lincoln called out seeing her in the corridor and followed them both. He looked at Octavia for an indication of what happened and saw fear in her eyes. He realized she was right after all and knew he would have to help Octavia keep his commander from harming Bellamy if he even could.

Lexa entered so quickly that Bellamy who was standing near Clarke's cot didn't notice until it was too late. She knocked him to the ground with a punch to the jaw when he turned and saw her. "Thank your sister because I would've killed you for what you did."

Abby and Kane chose rightly not to question Lexa as she straightened up and checked on Clarke.

"Did you give her the antidote?" Lexa demanded seeing that Clarke wasn't better as she expected.

"I gave her some of it," Abby replied. She saw a little improvement and thought it just needed more time.

"Give it to me," Lexa asked for the container and roused Clarke.

"You came back," Clarke said weakly trying to sit up with Lexa's help. "I'm sorry."

"Drink this, all of it," Lexa coaxed her. She carefully helped her take the full dose of antidote then lay her back down to rest.

"Don't leave," Clarke pleaded reaching for her. She only relaxed when she saw Lexa nod.

"Sleep, we'll talk later," Lexa said before turning back to the others. She saw Abby checking on Bellamy while the others stood by. She walked over to them and determined he wasn't injured beyond healing in a few days. "Who stunned me?"

Bellamy didn't look up nor answer.

"Answer her," Octavia said hoping he'd wise up and earn some of Lexa's goodwill by responding.

"Can this wait?" Abby asked seeing that Bellamy was still sore from the punch.

Kane stepped in and whispered something to Lexa. He got a nod from her and she walked away. He turned back to Bellamy and sat next to him to speak with him.

.

Clarke opened her eyes and found herself looking up at Octavia's face.

"About time you woke up," Octavia joked having noticed Clarke stirring moments ago.

"Where's Lexa?" Clarke asked seeing she was nowhere in sight.

"How are you feeling?" Octavia asked instead.

"I'm fine," Clarke said but obviously still weak and unable to sit up without help. "Where's Lexa?"

"She's resting," Octavia finally revealed. "She has been through a lot while you were sick you know."

"What do you mean?" Clarke asked wanting to know more. She listened as Octavia related what had transpired after she was shot with a poisoned arrow. "Bellamy did what? Where were her guards? Where were you?"

"Lincoln and I were trying to find something that would keep you alive and her guards were off hunting the one who shot you. I think she would've managed to get around him but Jaha stunned her."

"Why would he do that?" Clarke asked then suddenly remembering he was under A.L.I.E.'s influence. "Does he know about …" She abruptly stopped knowing that Lexa's safety depended on her secret remaining so.

"We know," Octavia said without going into details. "Kane told us after Bellamy revealed Jaha stunned her. We don't think he knows and suspect anything; he just wants her to leave."

"Why?" Clarke asked relieved that he doesn't seem to know about A.L.I.E 2.0 being in Lexa.

"We don't know yet and Bellamy volunteered to find out," Octavia said.

"Does Lexa know about this?" Clarke asked concerned she would be angry that she wasn't part of the plan.

"Yes," Octavia replied. "When she found out it was Jaha, she wanted to know exactly what he was up to."

"And she trusts Bellamy to do this?" Clarke asked knowing that they were still at odds after what she just heard.

Octavia noticed Lexa arrived with Lincoln right behind her. Since her guards were away, Lincoln had taken on the task to watch her back. "You can ask her yourself." She got up and gave Lexa a quick nod as she passed her.

"How are you feeling?" Lexa asked standing next to her.

"Better," Clarke said with a weak smile. "Thank you for saving my life." She waited for Lexa to come nearer.

Lexa considered what to say next and they both began simultaneously.

"Let me go first," Clarke insisted. "I'm so sorry for demanding that you say the words. You don't have to. I let my mom get into my head and made the wrong move. Please forgive me."

"If you would do the same for me for not saying them," Lexa replied. She saw Clarke needed an explanation and decided it was time. "The first time I uttered those words were to my father then a few days later he died in battle. I decided not to say them ever again but then I met Costia. She gave me a reason to use those words again but then she was taken from me that same day. I don't want you to suffer the same fate." She was obviously saddened by the painful memories.

Clarke reached for Lexa and pulled her in for a hug. "I didn't mean to bring back those sad memories for you."

"I didn't want you to be shot," Lexa whispered in Clarke's ear. "I vow to find out who were all involved in that and make them pay." She deduced that her guard who she sent off to check on the stalker did not act on his own and met someone who convinced him to attack Clarke.

"I know you will but right now I need a kiss," Clarke whispered back. She smiled when Lexa pulled back enough to oblige her. Their kiss washed away all fears that they had lost each other.

Lexa abruptly pulled away and stood up when they heard someone come in. She saw that it was Abby who hesitated before approaching.

"I came to check on Clarke," Abby explained her presence. She knew she had every right to be there but decided to tread lightly as Kane suggested after she had doubted Lexa.

"I'm fine mom," Clarke announced trying to stand but still wobbly on her feet.

Abby was silently disappointed when she reached for Lexa to steady herself. She could only watch as Lexa put her back in bed. "Thank you for saving her." She had been meaning to say so since the antidote came albeit in an indirect way from her.

Lexa merely nodded in acceptance of her gratitude. She heard one of her guards call out to her and left Clarke's side to see what news he brought with him.

"How long has this been going on?" Abby asked indicating she saw what had just happened between them.

"Does it matter?" Clarke asked not wanting to really explain it all.

"I'm just afraid you're getting too close to her and putting your life in danger."

"I'm in danger whether or not I'm with her," Clarke pointed out. "Anyone who wants the power of Wanheda will try to kill me. At least Lexa is trying to protect me from all of that." She was watching Lexa carefully and trying to discern the conversation from her body language.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Abby asked her. "You're not doing this because you feel obligated to her or our people are you?"

Clarke turned to look at her mom and in all sincerity nodded. "This is what I want; I'm happy to be with her."

Abby was glad to hear that her daughter was happy and gave her a hug. "That's all I needed to know."

Lexa returned and found Clarke and her mom having a moment. She didn't want to interrupt but Clarke noticed her and gave her the opening she needed. "My guards have the shooter."

"Will they bring him here?" Abby asked wanting to exact punishment on the man who almost killed her daughter.

"I will deal with this," Lexa announced. "An attack on Clarke is an attack on me." She saw Abby was disappointed but saw Clarke approve so she left.

"Do you know what she'll do?" Abby asked.

"It will be justice."


	16. Chapter 16

Clarke used the staff either Lincoln or Octavia brought to med bay as a crutch to get around. She knew that in order to help, she had to be back on her feet as soon as Lexa returned. She walked back and forth to gain strength in her legs.

"Hey, take it easy," Octavia said having returned with food for her. "Lexa is going to have our heads if you get hurt again."

"No she won't," Clarke assured her. "I don't want to be her weakness; not right now. Will you help me?"

Octavia knew she couldn't stop Clarke so she did what she could to help.

"Have you heard from Bellamy yet?" Clarke asked. "He knows not to take the pill right?"

"Yes, he knows," Octavia replied. "But I don't think Jaha would trust anyone who hasn't taken it."

Clarke knew she was right about that but hoped that he would be creative in finding a way to avoid it and revealing anything to A.L.I.E.

"One thing going for him is that Jaha thinks he hates Lexa right now. I'm surprised his jaw wasn't completely knocked off."

They both knew that Lexa had restrained herself knowing what she was capable of.

"Where is she by the way?" Octavia asked having lost track of her. "She's not going after Jaha is she?"

"No, she's dealing with the one who shot me."

.

Lexa waited patiently as her guards prepared the one who had shot Clarke to be scourged. "Why?" she asked plainly. When she didn't get an answer, she slashed him with her knife followed by his comrades whom he betrayed as well.

"Mercy commander," he cried out in pain.

"Then tell me why you attacked Wanheda," she demanded. "The pain will only get worse."

"The one from Azgeda said you were being misled by Wanheda," he revealed.

"King Roan?" she asked clearly surprised after he made a clear gesture of loyalty to her.

"The girl from Azgeda," he clarified when Lexa poised to cut him deeper for more information. "She was the stalker. She said we have to go back to the way we were and that can only be accomplished by the death of Wanheda."

"And you agreed with her," she noted sadly judging by his action. She was deeply hurt that Ontari had returned trying to undermine her and now overtly challenging her. "Anyone else here agree with her?" She looked at her guards who all proclaimed their loyalty to her.

The man waited for Lexa's judgment for his attack on Clarke. He was surprised when she cut his bindings.

"I will spare you so you can send her a message," she said angrily. "I accept the challenge and will meet her in Polis." She watched him scramble away to do her command.

"Commander, what now?" one of her guards asked.

"Prepare to return to Polis," she ordered without hesitation. She rode back with them to claim what was hers. "Quark, you stay with Wanheda and make sure she is safe."

Quark agreed wholeheartedly and walked away to find her while the rest followed Lexa.

Lexa strode towards where her box was and motioned for the guard posted outside the room to follow her.

Raven looked up clearly surprised by her visit. She had heard about what happened and expected her to be with Clarke at that moment.

"I'm taking the box back to Polis," Lexa declared her purpose clearly.

"But I'm not done yet," Raven objected. "I think there's more to just the hologram in this." She wanted more time with it.

Lexa motioned for her guard to threaten Raven with his sword so she would surrender the box.

"Fine, Clarke is not going to like this," Raven pointed out trying to intimidate her to no avail. She could only watch one of the guards pick up the box and leave with Lexa.

.

Clarke managed to convince Abby to let her go back to the room she shared with Lexa. She wanted to be there when Lexa returned. She was surprised when she found Quark standing outside the door. She figured Lexa had returned and couldn't wait to see her.

"Clarke," Raven called out to her as she ran towards her.

"Whoa, slow down," Octavia said as Raven almost ran over Clarke. "Clarke's still not ready for running."

"Did you find something new with the box?" Clarke asked figuring that's what had her excited.

"I did but Lexa took the box," Raven revealed. "She's taking it back to Polis."

Clarke turned to Quark and got her confirmation when he nodded to her unspoken question. She hobbled as quickly as she could to catch up to Lexa. She found her preparing for the journey. "Commander, were you going without saying goodbye?"

"I was just about to find you. May we meet again," Lexa said clasping Clarke's arm in hers. "I must return to Polis immediately."

"Why? What happened?" Clarke asked wanting to know the reason.

"A challenge has been issued," Lexa revealed. "I can't ignore it."

"By whom?" Clarke continued refusing to let go of Lexa's arm. She was obviously getting better as she had the strength to detain Lexa.

"Ontari," Lexa said. "You have to let me do this."

"Let me come with you," Clarke insisted motioning to Quark to fetch her horse.

"You're in no condition to ride," Lexa pointed out. "You'll be safe here. Your friends and Quark will protect you."

"Either you let me come with you or I'll go alone," Clarke asserted herself.

"Quark won't let you," Lexa said seeing that he hadn't moved to do as Clarke bade him to do.

Clarke saw she was right about him but had made up her mind. "He's one man, I have friends who will help me."

Lexa quickly weighed the options and decided it was best to take Clarke along. She motioned for Quark to prepare for the journey. "You can ride with me." She helped Clarke mount her horse before getting on herself.

"I thought you had to be at the reins?" Clarke asked when Lexa settled behind her.

"I am," Lexa said taking them. "But I'm afraid you'd fall over behind me in your current condition."

"I think a ride will improve my condition," Clarke joked.

Octavia cleared her throat and looked up at the two. She wanted to be invited to join them.

"I need you to stay and let us know what you find out about A.L.I.E., Jaha or the missiles," Clarke said.

"Fine," Octavia accepted the task. "But don't ask me to tell your mom you've left." She didn't want that task.

Raven found all of them looking at her and realized they wanted her to do it. "Fine but you owe me for this."

Lexa whispered something in Clarke's ear and she nodded. She steered her horse towards the gate as her guards flanked her to keep bystanders away as they galloped out of Arkadia.

Up in the watch tower Bellamy watched as Clarke once again left Arkadia without saying goodbye to him. He was deep in thought when Jaha walked up to him.

"Well done," Jaha said. "Are you sure they won't return?"

"Not unless you want them to," Bellamy replied and walked off.

.

Lexa picked a spot for them to rest for the night. She helped Clarke dismount and with efficient speed, her guards had her tent ready for her.

Clarke rubbed her shoulder to relieve the soreness as she entered the tent. She felt Lexa lift her shirt to check on her wound. She could tell that it was bleeding through her bandage.

Lexa silently tended to Clarke's wound not wanting to alarm her by commenting on what she saw.

"It looks worse than it feels," Clarke said trying to assure Lexa she was alright.

Lexa sighed and knew that Clarke was just trying to be brave and strong for her knowing what was waiting for her in Polis. She gave Clarke a quick kiss above her wound before dropping her shirt.

"Lexa," Clarke called invitingly. She took off her shirt and pulled Lexa in closer.

Lexa understood and gladly gave her the connection she needed and deserved for not once complaining during their journey. She quickly shed both of their clothing and snuggled in bed with her. She made sure Clarke was comfortable and gave as much as she got.

Clarke relished the warmth Lexa provided and wished that they could just stay that way forever. "Promise me you will be careful." She knew it was inevitable once a challenge was issued having gone through it once before.

"I will," Lexa said kissing the top of Clarke's head as she lay on top of her. She waited until Clarke fell fast asleep before gently pushing her off. She got up and hastily dressed to leave. She was about to go but turned back and softly whispered her goodbye to Clarke who slept through it.

.

Lexa arrived in Polis just before dawn. She quickly headed for the throne room where she found Titus staring down Ontari. She quickly went up the steps to her spot and faced her challenger.

"Welcome home," Ontari said wryly. "Or do you prefer Arkadia as your home now?"

"What are you doing?" Lexa asked instead choosing not to be baited by her obvious intent to question her loyalties.

"Claiming my birthright," Ontari replied.

"You've forfeit that right when you ran away during your conclave," Titus declared angrily. He saw Lexa raise her hand and stopped speaking as she wished.

Lexa studied the upstart standing before her. She couldn't help but wonder what had spurred her to act now. "Why?"

"Because you've taken everything away from me," Ontari said acidly. "It's my turn to do the same to you. I challenge you to a fight to the death."

Lexa was saddened by this change in her. She simply nodded her acceptance then Titus declared the time and place they would meet.

.

Clarke woke up with a start and looked around her for Lexa. Seeing that the box was gone, she felt a sinking feeling that Lexa had left without her. She got dressed and rushed out to find Quark waiting for her. "When did she leave?"

"During the night," he replied bracing himself for what she would do next.

Clarke calculated and determined that she would be back in Polis already. She ran towards her horse and mounted quickly. She turned towards Polis only to see him blocking her way.

"The commander would prefer you returned to Arkadia," he passed along her message.

Clarke drew her gun and pointed it at him even though she knew he was only following her order. "Move or I will shoot you."

Quark squared his shoulder and prepared to die trying. He didn't flinch when Clarke shot a bullet near his feet.

"Please Quark," she begged him. "You would fight to protect her, too, no matter what."

Quark considered it and did what he thought was best.

.

Lexa summoned Aden to give him instructions should she not survive. She could see Titus shift uneasily beside her. "Remember what I taught you, protect our people no matter what; that includes the thirteenth clan."

Aden nodded and quietly took his leave. He felt the weight of his responsibility but wanted Lexa to be proud of him and prepared himself for it.

"Why are you letting her dictate the rules?" Titus asked. "It is clear that she is not worthy to become commander. I can send your guards to kill her for her cowardice during the conclave."

"It is time to put this matter to rest," she replied. "Even Clarke knows that."

Titus was surprised then wondered where she was. "Where is Wanheda?"

"Where she will be safe," she replied simply.

.

Clarke and Quark arrived at the edge of Polis and they found Lexa's guards burning a body. The guards were clearly surprised to see them there.

"What happened?" she asked them.

"The girl from Azgeda left a message for the commander," one of them replied. "She killed the one who shot you."

Clarke didn't dwell on it because she wanted to reach Lexa before it was too late. She raced to the center of Polis and was surprised to see no one there. "Is it over?" She looked for any sign of who had prevailed.

"The nightbloods do not fight here," Quark said catching up to her. "They fight in the forest."

Clarke followed him as he raced to where Lexa would be fighting to the death.


	17. Chapter 17

Lexa eyed her opponent as they stood at the entrance to the forest. They had been there once before long ago but now it was just the two of them.

Titus had the herald blow the horn and watched as the two combatants ran into the woods to fight it out. Whoever returned would be the victor and he hoped that it was Lexa.

Lexa quickly found a spot to surprise Ontari and knocked her to the ground. She drew her sword and pointed it at her face. "What makes you think you are ready for this?"

Ontari lost her sword as she fell so she moved to draw her knife which Lexa quickly kicked away from her. "Because I know I am." She was defiant even in the face of defeat.

"I don't think you are," Lexa noted. "Even Queen Nia knew that which is why she chose King Roan to fight for her."

"He is a fool, he could've easily killed you but he hesitated," Ontari argued. "Just like you are doing now." She kicked Lexa on her shin and rolled to get her sword. She swung it at Lexa who was still on her knee but was able to block being an expert fighter. She stumbled backwards when Lexa punched her on her stomach.

"Stop before I hurt you," Lexa warned.

"You won't," Ontari said confidently. "You promised her you won't kill me." She then proceeded to strike blow upon blow at her.

Lexa effectively blocked and dodged each strike with ease. She was clearly just waiting her out in this fight.

"Fight!" Ontari said angrily. "Or have you lost the power of Wanheda?"

"I don't need her power," Lexa said letting her anger bubble up a little knowing she was responsible for the attack on Clarke. "You, however, use others to do your dirty work."

"Goes to show your guards no longer follow you," Ontari mocked.

"And yet the one you corrupted died doing my last command," Lexa said taking her first strike at Ontari that made the latter's arm quake.

.

Clarke arrived at the spot where Titus stood waiting for the outcome of the battle. She dismounted and ran towards the forest only to be restrained by the arm by him.

"You cannot follow her," he said. "Only nightbloods are allowed in there."

Clarke felt helpless until she saw a familiar figure trying to sneak in. "It's Emerson! Who will stop him from entering?"

Titus saw the man who clearly was intent on harming Lexa. He had to decide quickly but before he even said anything Clarke was already running after him. He prayed that she wasn't too late.

Clarke ran in with gun in her hand ready to shoot him knowing his only intent was to kill Lexa. She quickly found and followed his tracks. She caught up to him as he was aiming at Lexa who was occupied with Ontari. She moved quickly to aim at him before he could fire a shot.

.

Lexa still held back for some reason and refused to strike down Ontari. She saw her opponent getting weary and hoped it would make her surrender on her own.

"When I am commander, I will wipe out your precious thirteenth clan," Ontari said with malice. "They won't have Wanheda to protect them anymore."

"You're wrong, she lives," Lexa revealed with a smile. She could tell that Ontari was surprised and disappointed by the news.

"Then she will die by my hands after you," Ontari declared managing to retrieve her knife along the way and swinging it at Lexa who was too far to reach with it.

Lexa found it odd that she would favor such an ineffective weapon and again kicked it out of her hand to get rid of the annoyance then threw a blow from under her chin to knock her to the ground. She still didn't make a move to kill Ontari when she heard a gunshot. She looked up and saw the familiar blonde head in the distance moving towards her target. She scanned the direction she was headed and saw Emerson trying to run away from Clarke. The momentary distraction allowed Ontari to run away with her weapons and after one quick look back to see that Clarke had it covered, she went after her own target.

.

Clarke shot Emerson on the knee to slow him down while ducking from his return fire. She kicked away his gun from him when he fell and aimed hers at his head. "Don't move."

"Or what; you'd banish me again?" he asked bitterly. "I'll just keep coming back until you and Lexa are dead."

"Why are you even helping Ontari?" she demanded. "She will uphold Lexa's orders."

"No she won't," he replied. "We made a deal that if I helped her become the commander, she would lift my banishment then she would wipe out you and your people like you did mine."

"Unfortunate for you, I'm not going to let that happen," she told him. She anticipated his attempt to wrestle the gun away from her and shot him on his shoulder.

"You can't stop it," he mocked even while writhing in pain from his most recent bullet wound. "All Ontari has to do is cut Lexa with her knife and it will be over."

Clarke realized that Ontari was wielding a poisoned knife. "Like hell I can't." She pulled the trigger but she had run out of bullets.

Emerson laughed maniacally relishing the idea that she won't be able to help Lexa.

"Your fight is over," Clarke said angrily and drew her knife to stab him in the heart. She took one last look at his shocked face before picking up his gun and set off to find Lexa and warn her of the danger.

.

Lexa sensed the knife aimed at her and deflected it with her sword. She found Ontari charging towards her and she struck back this time drawing blood. She turned and faced Ontari who groaned from the cut on her sword-wielding arm. "You dared to cheat to become commander?"

"It didn't have to come to this if Pike had done what I asked him to do," Ontari said revealing that she was the one who freed him from the dungeon. "I was supposed to bring your dead body back to Polis and claim my place."

Lexa could tell Ontari fully expected to win during the conclave after her death because her novitiates were all so young. "You think the training Queen Nia has given you has prepared you to fight them?"

"She prepared me to become the next commander," Ontari claimed.

"A puppet of Azgeda," Lexa countered. "You clearly don't know what it means to be the commander."

"At least she listened to me," Ontari said. "I told her about Costia and she got her for me."

Lexa was stunned to discover it was Ontari who revealed her relationship with Costia. "You got her killed!"

"I didn't think she would refuse to give you up," Ontari confessed finally dealing with her guilt. "I begged her to tell Queen Nia what she wanted to know to end her suffering. I even swore that she would be beside me when I became commander." She began to tear up remembering how Costia had been steadfast in keeping Lexa's secrets.

Lexa gripped her sword tighter with the realization that Ontari had been the one who betrayed them that ultimately led to Costia's untimely death.

.

Clarke found Lexa in full fight mode and didn't want to distract her. She watched her unleash her fury with each strike that not only drew blood from Ontari but beat her back and down. She stayed watchful for the knife that could harm Lexa and prepared to shoot.

"Only nightbloods are allowed," Titus had said ran through her mind. With that, she knew she couldn't kill Ontari even to save Lexa. She had to find another way to help.

.

Lexa had one thing in mind as she released her anger on Ontari and that was to make her pay for Costia's death. She refused to let anything stop her even the trees Ontari hid behind to escape her.

"I surrender," Ontari finally said when she dropped to her knees and threw down her sword. "Please don't kill me for killing Costia. Remember your promise."

Lexa stood there momentarily to process as her anger reignited after she thought it was spent. She was clearly struggling to execute Ontari regardless of her rage.

.

Clarke saw Lexa hesitate to deal the final blow. She wondered if her insistence that blood must not have blood had anything to do with it. She worried that might get Lexa killed. She aimed her gun at Ontari's head and hoped she was doing the right thing. She figured it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

.

Lexa turned to pick up Ontari's sword. She had made her decision and would live with it.

"Why does everyone I love prefer you to me?" Ontari asked bitterly getting off her knees.

Lexa turned to face her but had no answer that would satisfy her so she remained silent.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ontari saw Clarke nearby. She decided to aim the knife at her instead but Lexa was far quicker and once again knocked the knife out of her hand and pinned her against a tree with both swords in a scissor-like grip. She bled on both sides of her neck as Lexa clamped it closer.

"Enough," Lexa ordered. "I vowed not to kill you but I can banish you from my lands. Leave if you wish to live." With that, Lexa turned and walked away.

.

Clarke saw Ontari's failed attempt to throw the knife at her and was glad it was Lexa who had the upper hand. What she saw next surprised her as Lexa walked away without killing Ontari. She saw Lexa walking towards her but kept an eye on Ontari who just stood there glad to still be alive. But that didn't last long as the would-be usurper picked up the knife and charged behind Lexa. She couldn't get a clear shot and yelled for Lexa to get out of the way.

.

Lexa saw and heard Clarke's reaction and knew immediately that Ontari hadn't given up. She turned and used both swords to cut her opponent down. She knew Ontari was dead even before her head rolled on the ground severed from her body.

.

Clarke rushed to Lexa's side and started to look her over. "Did she cut you with the knife?" She couldn't see clearly what went on and worried Ontari had managed to nick Lexa as a last ditch effort.

"I'm fine Clarke," Lexa assured her while sheathing her sword and discarding the other. She hugged Clarke who was clearly shaking out of concern for her.

"Her knife was poisoned," Clarke revealed hugging Lexa back so tightly she wouldn't let go even when Lexa pried away from her.

Lexa picked up the knife and sniffed it. She plunged it into Ontari's lifeless body to be sure it would harm nothing else. She then picked up the severed head and walked out of the forest. With her free hand, she reached for Clarke to lead them back to show who had prevailed that day. She walked up to Titus and solemnly handed him Ontari's head. Without a word, she headed back to her tower.

"The mountain man?" he asked Clarke who was left behind.

"He's dead," she confirmed. "I killed him while Lexa killed Ontari." She wanted to make sure that was clear.

"I have no doubt," he noted having seen Lexa's demeanor.

"She was the eighth during Lexa's conclave wasn't she?" she asked already figuring it out.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Now go to her; she will need you."

.

Clarke couldn't get to Lexa's room quick enough. She ran into it and found Lexa washing up. She watched and waited for her to make the first move.

"I'm fine," Lexa said calmly. "Not a scratch on me thanks to you."

Clarke was relieved and pulled Lexa into a hug. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

"How did you know the knife was poisoned?" Lexa asked leading Clarke by the hand to the couch in her room.

Clarke related what Emerson had revealed to her then listened as Lexa told her about Ontari's plan with Pike.

"Good thing he changed his plan," Clarke said realizing just how lucky they were he did.

Lexa nodded in agreement.

"Can I ask you something?" Clarke ventured to satisfy her curiosity. "She was determined to kill you so why did you try to spare her life?"

"Because I made a promise that I won't kill her to our mother on her deathbed."

"She was your sister," Clarke said in shock. She now understood why Lexa restrained herself as much as she did. She wondered how Ontari ended up with Queen Nia.

"You're wondering how she ended up in Azgeda," Lexa guessed correctly. She didn't know exactly how but knew the events leading up to it so she started with that. "Ontari was born after my father's death. By then I was supposed to go to Polis to begin my training with the other nightbloods. All my mother had was Ontari so she made me promise not to tell anyone that I had a sister who was also a nightblood."

Clarke listened intently wanting to learn more about Lexa than Ontari.

"Then our mother fell ill and she called for me to return home," Lexa continued. "She asked me to continue keeping Ontari a secret but if that failed and she was brought to the next conclave, she made me promise that I would not kill her."

Clarke could understand why her mom asked for that but couldn't help being angry that she imposed it on Lexa.

"So I brought her to Polis with me and asked Costia's family to take her in." Lexa thought back to that fatal decision that set the course for Costia's demise.

"Did her family know Ontari was a nightblood?"

"No, only Costia did," Lexa revealed. "Then one day someone discovered Ontari was a nightblood and brought her to Titus. By then she was too far behind to train properly for what was to come."

"Did Titus know she was your sister?"

"I think he suspected but didn't ask," Lexa said grateful for his discretion and leniency. "Then when the commander died, we were all brought to fight each other."

Now that she knew, she understood why Titus told her to be with Lexa. "How did she managed to survive?"

"Because I was her first opponent," Lexa explained. "I told her to run away."

"Then Queen Nia found her," Clarke concluded for both of them. "Is that how she knew about Costia?" It dawned on her suddenly and she didn't like where her thoughts were taking her.

Lexa sadly nodded. "We were very careful but when she was taken, I thought one of my guards gave us away."

Clarke could see how much pain the memories were causing Lexa and gave her a comforting hug.

.

Lexa rested her head over Clarke's chest while they reclined on the couch. She found the sound of Clarke's heart beating quite calming.

"I'm sorry for bringing up all those sad memories," Clarke apologized. She was gently stroking Lexa's hair while she unbraided it.

"Don't be, Ontari already brought them up," Lexa said. "She confessed to killing Costia and she tried to have you killed."

Clarke closed her eyes fighting back tears not for herself but for Lexa. She wished she could ease her pain.

"Thank you for being here," Lexa said realizing she was wrong wanting to send her back to Arkadia for her safety.

"No place I'd rather be," Clarke assured her glad she insisted on coming. She was disappointed when Lexa pulled away and sat up. "What's the matter?" She sat up and tried to determine what Lexa was feeling.

"I failed my mother," Lexa said sadly.

"No you didn't," Clarke asserted. "You kept your promise to her until the very end. It's not your fault; Ontari gave you no other choice."

Lexa smiled thankfully for Clarke's support.

"I once blamed myself for my dad's death," Clarke revealed sadly. "I kept wondering if I had done something differently he would still be alive until I realized that I just can't control everything. Neither can you."

"You are certainly one I can't control," Lexa noted drawing a smile from both of them.


	18. Chapter 18

Clarke woke up and was glad to find a smiling Lexa beside her. "Good morning, how are you feeling?"

"Better," Lexa admitted clearly glad she was there. "How about you?"

"My pain medication must be wearing off because my wound is hurting like hell," Clarke complained honestly.

Lexa sat up and climbed over her to get something that would help. "Here, chew on this." She gave her a piece of bark before checking on her bandage.

Clarke looked at the small piece with distaste.

"It's not that bad," Lexa said seeing her hesitation. "Trust me." She gently encouraged Clarke to try it.

Clarke put it in her mouth and started to chew. "This has better be worth it." She didn't have to wait long to be rewarded with a kiss from Lexa that helped just as much. She leaned back into her arms as she began to relax and feel better.

"I should be getting ready for council," Lexa said eager to meet with her ambassadors to show them she was still very much in-charge.

"Can't Titus declare some sort of special day so you can rest?" Clarke asked knowing the answer but had to try.

"Clarke, you know that I have to show strength by going on like nothing happened," Lexa reminded her.

"Can we at least spend the afternoon alone together?" Clarke requested sweetly.

"We'll see," Lexa replied without committing to it.

"It'll make up for you leaving me without saying goodbye," Clarke reasoned.

"But I did say goodbye," Lexa corrected her watching Clarke sit up and face her.

"It doesn't count if I'm not awake to hear it," Clarke pointed out and saw Lexa nod her agreement. "Is that a yes to my plan then?"

"Yes."

.

Lexa went about the business of getting up to speed on what happened while she was away by listening to Aden's verbal report then reading the pile of written reports on the table. She made it a point to praise him for things he did right and asked why he did certain things she would have done differently.

Aden waited for Lexa's final assessment of his performance and was elated when she gave him her approval.

"Anything else?" she asked when she noted that Aden was hanging around.

"I'm glad you prevailed over her," he said glad to still be her novitiate.

"I'm glad, too," she concurred watching Quark enter the room to meet with her. "Now go and join your comrades with Titus."

Aden saluted before leaving the room.

Quark was on his knees when Lexa turned to deal with him. He was nervous knowing he had failed her yet again and clearly remembered her warning the last time he did.

Lexa looked sternly at him as he snuck a peek at her to sense her mood. "Tell me Quark, was I not clear in my instructions to take Wanheda back to Arkadia?"

"Yes you were, commander," he replied. "I've failed you and am ready for my punishment."

Lexa was surprised by his readiness to take the blame. She was expecting him to reason that it was Clarke's idea. "What would you have done if she was in danger by letting her come here?"

"I would protect her with my life," he replied without hesitation.

"You alone might not be enough to keep her safe," she challenged. "She at least has friends in Arkadia."

"She has friends in Polis, too," he revealed. "They will help me keep her safe."

Lexa was quite impressed by his revelation and satisfied that his action was not meant to put her in harm's way. But she could see that he could no longer be a member of her guards going forward.

.

Clarke was in the other room and about to leave when she saw Titus waiting for her in the main room. "She's not here." She assumed he was looking for Lexa.

"I was hoping to speak with you before council," he explained his presence.

Clarke cautiously nodded for him to proceed.

"I wanted to thank you for helping Lexa," he began. "I'm not supposed to favor anyone but of all commanders I've served, I'd like to see her lead for as long as possible."

"No need to thank me; we both want the same thing," she agreed.

Titus lingered a little longer which prompted her to ask what else he needed to say. "There is another nightblood from Lexa's conclave; her name is Luna."

"What about her?" she asked clearly recognizing the name.

"She could be a threat to Lexa," he pointed out. "I have repeatedly asked permission to send soldiers to hunt her down but Lexa refuses. Maybe you can convince her." He was hoping that Ontari's recent action would change Lexa's stance but decided to improve his odds by getting Clarke to discuss the matter.

"She must have a good reason to refuse," she countered knowing Lexa always did things for a valid one.

"Unlike Ontari, Luna is a potent threat," he explained hoping to sway her.

"I'll talk to her about it," she replied. She watched as Titus left the room contentedly before leaving herself. She noticed that Quark was visibly absent so she asked the replacement guard escorting her.

"The commander summoned him," he told her. He cleared his throat when Clarke headed the wrong way to find her.

Clarke had a sense of urgency knowing that he could be in trouble because of her decision to come to Polis.

.

Lexa was just about to leave the room she was in when Clarke came and pushed her back into it. "Clarke, it's time to go."

"This can't wait," Clarke said kicking the door closed behind her. "Where's Quark?"

"I don't know because he is no longer one of my guards," Lexa replied and was about to continue when Clarke cut her off.

"You can't dismiss him," Clarke argued figuring he was alive from Lexa's use of words. "He only did what I asked him to do. He was under duress after I shot at him."

Lexa was silently amused by Clarke's attempt to rescue Quark from punishment for disobeying her. But she didn't want to prolong her worry so she revealed what she had decided for him. "It's quite obvious that he follows your orders more than mine so I released him from his duty to me so he can offer it to you."

Clarke wasn't sure what to make of that change. "What am I supposed to do with him?"

"Let him continue to keep you safe for me," Lexa replied. "And if he fails, I want your permission to punish him." She leaned in and waited for Clarke's response.

"I'm not giving you that," Clarke replied characteristically and saw Lexa's disappointment.

"We should go," Lexa said starting to head for the door.

"There's one more thing," Clarke said spinning Lexa by the arm to face her. "Should I be worried about Luna?"

Lexa was surprised by that question. "You've been talking to Titus."

"Yes, he came to see me," Clarke admitted. "He tells me that she's a better fighter than Ontari."

"We are evenly matched," Lexa acknowledged. "But she's not a threat." She could tell Clarke had her doubts.

"Why do you say that?"

"Trust me," Lexa replied simply and started to head out but again Clarke restrained her.

"At least tell me why," Clarke insisted even though she saw a spark of anger cross Lexa's eyes for being nosey.

"Because I know her very well," Lexa said dismissing further discussion with a look.

.

Lexa presided over the discussions with her ambassadors which centered on the confirmations of the missile base locations she had asked them to check before she went to Arkadia. She was glad to hear that none of them seemed to have become active since. No one seemed interested in discussing anything else much less her recent battle with Ontari.

"Commander, shouldn't we destroy them?" one ambassador suggested as the next step.

Clarke shook her head slightly in silent response waiting for Lexa to ask for her opinion. She was acutely aware that Lexa needed to appear in command and making the decisions.

"Wanheda's friends are working on a solution," Lexa replied. "One that will not endanger anyone any further; for now we wait."

"But you destroyed one of them," another ambassador reminded her. "You can show us how."

Lexa turned to Clarke and prompted her to speak.

"It's not that simple," Clarke began. "We don't know what the effects of detonating all those nuclear missiles in the sky will be to our lands."

"You think you have a better way?" a third ambassador asked.

"She does," Lexa replied for her. "Clarke has shown us alternative ways to solving our problems before. Until then, my order is to have your people stay away from those locations. Send guards to prevent trespassers and report any changes immediately." With a quick wave of her hand, Lexa dismissed those assembled.

"Titus, a word," Lexa prompted him when he was about to leave with the others. She signaled to Clarke for her to leave and waited for them to be alone before speaking. "I will not change my mind regarding Luna. Not even Clarke can." She watched Titus slightly bow accepting it was her final answer.

"Is there truly nothing we can do?" he asked changing the subject. "If you destroy each one before they pose a threat, it would elevate you."

"This is not the time for elevating me in the eyes of our people," she advised him. "What would be the point of that if we destroy what we are working so hard to achieve?"

"Are you certain Skaikru will help us?" he asked still unsure of their commitment to the coalition.

"Perhaps it's time to see if a defense for one is a defense for all," she noted optimistically.

.

Clarke found herself wandering the halls of the dormitory for the novitiates. She wasn't sure which room Aden was in but knew they were there. She was surprised at how quiet it was and hoped that they weren't asleep.

"Wanheda," one of the novitiates greeted her when he saw her quite surprised by her presence.

"Do you know where Aden is?" she asked him. She followed him when he led the way. She knocked tentatively at the door and waited for Aden to answer it.

"Wanheda," he greeted equally surprised.

"Can we talk?" she requested and saw him agree. She followed him to the common room and saw the others there. "In private."

Aden signaled to his companions and they all dispersed to their own rooms. He gestured to a seat that was usually reserved for Lexa.

Clarke noticed this and opted to sit on the couch next to it so they could be side by side. "I wanted to ask you what you know about the conclave."

"It occurs after the commander's death," he replied.

"I know that already," she said realizing she wasn't specific enough. "I mean what happens if you don't kill an opponent?" She realized then that it might be beyond his comprehension.

"You mean like Ontari?" he asked clearly showing awareness of what she was getting at.

"Yes, like her," she confirmed.

"It has never happened before," he revealed. "But Heda has done things very differently since her conclave. She has made adjustments to the rules."

"And will those rules continue with the next commander?" She saw him nod affirmatively. "What if the next changes it back?"

"The commander's spirit won't allow it," he replied.

Clarke realized it took a lot of will power to override the chip and was glad to know Lexa was capable of it. She figured that any less prepared person would've been overwhelmed and possibly killed by it. "One more thing, do you know Luna?"

Aden nodded. "She was in Heda's conclave."

"Do you think she would try to claim the commander's spirit?"

"Heda said we have nothing to fear from Luna," he revealed clearly believing she was no threat.

"Do you know why that is?" She saw him shake his head for once and wished she had the same faith the boy had in the matter. "Thank you Aden. You've been very helpful." She prepared to leave but stopped when he spoke up.

"Wanheda, can you take me to Arkadia?" he requested. "I would like to see it."

"Someday Aden," she promised and watched the boy smile. She knew his fondness for it was due to Lexa's influence. She just hoped that things were more settled so he wouldn't be disappointed.

.

Lexa studied the box carefully while she waited for Clarke to return. She wondered what else it could hold since Raven was pretty convinced it had more in it. She traced her fingers around it wondering if there was another lock that needed to be opened.

"I'm back," Clarke announced herself and approached Lexa. "I'm sorry if I doubted you about Luna. I do trust you." She saw her instinctively withdraw her hand from the box then noticed her put pressure on her bleeding finger. "Did you cut yourself?"

They both heard some gears in the box start to spin and a secret compartment revealed itself.

"What is it?" Lexa asked refusing Clarke's offer to tend to her small wound.

Clarke looked at the contents and realized that the box contained a vial of the black liquid and a spare AI chip. "Of course, Becca knew she might not have anything to repair it so she brought another one. This is a spare of the commander's spirit."

Lexa appreciated Becca's foresight but also saw the danger if it were to fall into the wrong hands. "No one must know about this." She quickly closed the compartment to hide its contents.

"Should we destroy it?" Clarke asked arriving at the same conclusion.

"I'll hide it," Lexa said picking up the box. She motioned for Clarke to follow her and showed her a hiding spot in the room. "Only you know about this."

Clarke was pleased that Lexa entrusted her with such a secret. "Your secret is safe with me."

Lexa knew that even before she said it but appreciated her verbal promise. "Now, what would you like to do this afternoon?"

"How about we go through the city?" Clarke suggested glad that Lexa hadn't withdrawn from it.

Lexa agreed and off they went to the city streets followed by her guards.

"Do they really have to come along?" Clarke asked preferring that they moved around freely.

Lexa signaled and the guards fell back and followed more discreetly. She watched with amusement as Clarke explored each stall they passed and asked questions enthusiastically of each vendor. She loved the city but Clarke made it more important to her. She noticed something a vendor had and decided to leave her for a moment since she was obviously engrossed by the food vendor showing her how he makes his treats.

"You should try them," Quark suggested walking up to Clarke. He got one and offered it to her.

She distinctly noticed that he no longer wore the crest he usually did as one of Lexa's guards. "I heard what happened and I'm sorry."

"Don't be; the commander has given me an equally important duty. It saves me from being a disgrace to my clan." He pulled off a small piece of the treat and ate it to be sure it wasn't poisonous.

"You don't have to do that you know," she told him.

"Clarke," Lexa called out to her. She noticed Quark and gave him a nod.

"I don't think I'll get used to this," Clarke complained remembering Gustus' role as food tester.

"I think you will," Lexa said taking a small portion herself.

"By the time everyone is satisfied I'd have none," Clarke pointed out looking at the dwindling piece left.

"Then eat before it disappears," Lexa teased with a slight smile.

Clarke did as she was told but when they came to a fork on the road, she steered Lexa to the right.

"There are no more vendors down this path," Lexa explained.

"But I found something interesting down here," Clarke replied and went ahead of Lexa.


	19. Chapter 19

Clarke waited on pins and needles while the man got her what she ordered. She watched as Lexa looked around at others already made.

The man returned with a knife and showed it to Clarke. With mostly gestures and a smattering of words, Clarke was able to express her appreciation of his great work.

Lexa watched with admiration at Clarke's way of dealing with people. She could tell the man was in awe of her. She didn't hear what Clarke whispered in the man's ear but nodded when he turned to smile at her.

"If I had known you wanted another knife, I would have gotten you one," Lexa said once they were back in the street.

"It's not for me," Clarke said turning to face her. "I had it made for you. May it serve you well." She handed Lexa the newly made knife.

Lexa took it and noticed the design on its hilt. She looked at the infinity symbol that signified it was made especially for her. Filling the etched symbol was a strand of blonde hair ran through several times and held in by a clear resin. "I will never part with it."

"I want it to keep you safe especially when I'm not around," Clarke emphasized wanting her to know she was more important.

Lexa promptly placed the knife in the sheath strapped to her thigh. "I got this for you," Lexa revealed watching her open up the item.

"This is lovely," Clarke said at the soft sash she was given.

"You should wear it to signify your position in Skaikru," Lexa suggested helping her put it on. She picked the color of the sky and it matched her eyes quite nicely.

"How does it look?" Clarke asked showing off her form with the addition. She didn't need a verbal appreciation since she saw it on Lexa's face.

.

Lexa strode past everyone as she headed back intent on getting there without any interruption. She only wanted Clarke to follow her as she got into the elevator so she dismissed the guards with one look. Even Quark knew he was also done for the day.

Clarke was about to say something as the doors closed but she was silenced when Lexa turned to claim her lips. She joined in enthusiastically and even pulled her closer. She wondered if they could continue kissing all the way to the room. She tilted her head to give Lexa better access as she ran a trail of kisses down her neck.

"Thank you," Lexa whispered against her neck.

"For what?" Clarke asked quite intoxicated by her kisses. She didn't even know how much longer she could stand being fully clothed while Lexa ran her hands up and down her back.

"For the knife," Lexa managed to say also showing signs of the same effect from Clarke's hands in her hair. She pulled slightly away as she realized they were close to their floor. "We're almost there." She could hear Clarke's soft groan.

"Do you think they could come up so fast?" Clarke asked knowing that her guards couldn't possibly have.

Lexa looked both ways when the elevator doors opened to make sure the coast was clear. She signaled for Clarke to follow quickly as they ran to the privacy of their room.

Clarke quickly wrapped Lexa in her embrace and resumed their kissing as soon as the door closed. She wished she was as deft as Lexa but managed to help get both of them undressed before they reached the bed.

Lexa turned and looked at their discarded clothes strewn on the floor and was debating on picking them up.

"Leave it," Clarke said and pushed her on top of the bed.

Lexa chose not to argue and just enjoy the moment.

.

Clarke watched Lexa receive a tray of food from her guards and set it between them on the bed. She noted that the spread included the treat she enjoyed earlier. "How did you get more?"

"I ordered one of my guards to get some since you obviously didn't have enough," Lexa explained playfully.

"When did you get a chance to do that?" Clarke asked knowing that she hadn't left her side all afternoon after the guards were ordered to stay farther away.

Lexa smiled enigmatically. "I can't reveal all my secrets." She picked something and began eating while she observed Clarke's reaction.

Clarke thought about how she could've done it then realized it was possible. "You can sign to them." She got confirmation by a wider grin from Lexa. "Does Quark know the signs? Can I learn them?"

"You're very smart," Lexa noted with admiration. "Maybe I will teach you some of the signs someday."

"Why not now?" Clarke persisted.

"You should eat Clarke, before these disappear on you again," Lexa teased intentionally taking some of her newly found favorite treat. "Besides, you need to keep up with me."

"Is that a complaint?" Clarke started eating nonetheless but watched as Lexa smile radiantly. She liked seeing this side of her and felt privileged to be able to.

"No, but it is a challenge," Lexa said.

"Then I accept your challenge," Clarke said eyeing Lexa in her nightgown. She hadn't seen her wear that piece since the night after her battle with Roan. She remembered how it took all her willpower to let Lexa leave her room that night.

"Clarke?" Lexa called out to her when she noticed her drift into her own thoughts.

"What?" Clarke asked snapping out of it.

"I asked if you'd like to go riding with me tomorrow."

"Yes, but only if you order the guards to stay far away," Clarke agreed. "Including Quark."

"You will have to order him to do that," Lexa reminded her.

Clarke hadn't gotten used to that yet but hoped he would follow her order because she wasn't predisposed to punish him if he didn't.

.

Lexa woke up to a sight that she hoped would be repeated every day for the rest of her life. As dawn brightened the sky outside her window, she saw Clarke's sleeping form begin to stir awake. She waited for her blue-eyes to reveal themselves and see her smile.

"How are you awake already?" Clarke muttered.

"How else can I be the first to say good morning?"

"Please tell me there isn't an early morning council," Clarke continued sleepily.

"No, but I have to go and train the nightbloods," Lexa explained. "You can go back to sleep; I just couldn't leave without telling you." She started to get up but then Clarke grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Don't forget we're going riding today," Clarke reminded her.

"It was my idea remember?" Lexa teased giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving her side. "Maybe we can go after I finish with the nightbloods." When she turned around to get confirmation, Clarke was already fast asleep.

.

Clarke was headed to the throne room where she knew Lexa was finishing up with her novitiates when she noticed Roan come through another corridor. "Roan, what are you doing here?"

"Lexa summoned me," he replied sullenly.

"It's probably to talk about Ontari," she guessed and saw him agree with a nod.

"I had nothing to do with her plan to oust Lexa," he said defensively. "I wouldn't do that to Lexa after she made me king."

Clarke wanted to believe him but had some reservations. "Ontari was in your charge. How could you not have noticed she was out for revenge?" She figured that her loyalty to Queen Nia played a part in her need to kill Lexa.

"When we got back home, she asked to be left alone to grieve," he said. "I respected that and went about getting my people to accept the new way. When I learned she was gone, I sent some soldiers to find her."

"They didn't look hard enough," she noted sadly wondering if they were also swayed to supporting Ontari as the antithesis to Lexa.

"They were all killed," he revealed. "I found them with their throats slit."

Clarke felt sorry for them allowing herself to imagine Ontari either pretending to return with them or sneaking in at the dead of night while they slept to kill them.

"I heard she turned one of Lexa's guards," he mentioned.

"I guess when she can't do that she kills them," she said. "How do I know you're not here to kill Lexa? You asked me to do just that not so long ago."

"Because I could never kill her myself," he admitted honestly.

Clarke suddenly realized why he hesitated when he had the chance to kill her during their fight. "You care for her."

"Just like you," he pointed out. "You couldn't kill her either when you had the chance."

"Clarke," Lexa called out to her when she approached them. She eyed Roan inquiringly for a moment before turning back to Clarke. "The nightbloods have requested an audience with you."

"Why me?" Clarke asked surprised by the request.

"Your visit yesterday piqued their interest in you and your people," Lexa explained. "They would like to ask questions to learn more." She turned to Roan slightly to address him. "We need to talk."

Clarke watched Roan nod and start to follow Lexa. She reached for his arm to delay him. "Tell her the truth."

.

Lexa strapped the saddle on her horse and watched Quark do the same on Clarke's horse. She had some of her guards go scout the path they were taking to make sure it was safe and ordered them to stay a distance away as they rode through.

Quark hung around waiting for Clarke but he saw Lexa signal for him to leave. He wondered if she had forgotten that he took orders from Clarke now.

"It was her order that you stay away," Lexa said for her. "Would you like to explain to her why you refused to follow it?"

Quark bowed and walked away not wanting to get in trouble so early with Clarke. He saw her headed his way and decided to mention he was available for her. "Wanheda, your horse is ready for you. I could ride with you."

"No Quark, I'd rather you didn't," Clarke said dismissively and passed him. She stopped mid-step and turned and saw Quark perk up ready to join them. "Look, I know you mean well but I'll be safe with the commander."

Lexa watched the exchange and wondered if he'd be successful in changing Clarke's mind. She knew he wasn't when he walked away sadly. She at least knew it was the right decision to make him her permanent guard.

"Sorry I'm late," Clarke apologized when she was next to Lexa who handed her the reins to her horse. "They had a lot of questions regarding the Ark and how we lived up in the sky."

Lexa smiled as she mounted her horse. "I probably should have joined you. I have questions as well."

"I'm sure you do," Clarke said getting on her horse as well. "Ask away."

Lexa smiled and thought of what she couldn't gather from the commander's spirit. She thought of one but hesitated to ask because she wasn't ready for the answer yet. Instead she just rode alongside Clarke in silence for a while.

"You're accessing the commander's spirit aren't you?" Clarke asked noticing her silence. She saw her nod in response.

"Maybe I'll ask my questions another time," Lexa said. "You look like you have questions for me." She knew Clarke wanted to know how her talk with Roan went.

"How did it go with Roan?" Clarke hoped it went well and not leading to another war.

"As to be expected he claims not to know about Ontari's intentions," Lexa said. "He swears he supports the coalition and my plans for it."

"Do you believe him?" Clarke asked wondering if his word was enough.

"I do," Lexa confirmed. "He has always shown me that he is not his mother's son."

"What do you mean?" Clarke inquired curious about their history.

"When I ascended, Queen Nia sent him to become my weakness," Lexa revealed. "But he refused to do so that is why she banished him. He even tried to rescue Costia for me."

Clarke was taken aback by that information. She was sorry to once again bring up sad memories for her. She reached out to stop her horse. "We can talk about something else."

Lexa placed her hand over Clarke's to let her know it was alright. "He helped me force his mother into an alliance and then he found you for me."

Now it all made sense to Clarke. "I guess he's proven he is an invaluable ally."

"I look forward to seeing what he can do to help us strive for peace now that he is king," Lexa agreed. "We should be heading back." She noticed that they've gotten far enough.

"Race you back," Clarke challenged playfully.


	20. Chapter 20

Lexa was pleasantly surprised that Clarke wasn't sore that she didn't win the horse race. She silently snuck a peek at her as she sat across from her as they spent the afternoon together.

"What did I tell you?" Clarke warned her gently as she caught Lexa looking at her.

"To stay still," Lexa repeated her earlier instruction. "It's quite difficult if you take so long to finish."

"I'm almost done," Clarke said putting the final touches on her drawing before showing Lexa.

"This is beautiful," Lexa said with a smile looking at an image of herself in profile.

"That's because you are," Clarke said kissing her on the top of her head before sitting next to her.

They both heard a knock and Clarke jumped up to answer it. She happily accepted the items the guard brought up.

"What is all that for?" Lexa asked seeing her armful of drawing supplies.

"I told the nightbloods that I'd draw them on paper," Clarke declared. "There are drawings of nightbloods in Titus' place so I thought why not a few here?"

Lexa considered it a moment then agreed. It would be a tribute to them for their sacrifice when time came.

.

Clarke started drawing while Lexa paced to and fro behind her watching the drawing's progress. She got all the novitiates and her guards to pose for it. She was quite sure that everyone was keeping still because of Lexa's presence.

Lexa made a subtle gesture when the youngest of the novitiates looked about ready to move. She didn't want them to disappoint Clarke.

Clarke noticed they were starting to get tired so she decided it was a good time to take a break. "I need to get more charcoal so why don't you rest a little."

"I'll get it for you," Lexa offered wanting to be helpful.

"One of your guards can do it," Clarke suggested thinking it's too trivial for her.

"It'll give them a chance to relax," Lexa whispered knowing that everyone wouldn't move while she was there.

"Hurry back," Clarke whispered back playfully.

.

Lexa approached her room with a rising sense of alarm because she saw the door slightly ajar. She pulled out her knife and carefully opened it to see who had invaded her haven. She saw a man searching for something in her room and she surprised him from behind. "What are you doing here?"

The trespasser struggled to break free but felt the sharp edge of the knife on his throat so he stayed still.

Lexa sensed movement behind her and threw the knife at the second attacker hitting him on the shoulder. That momentary distraction was enough for the other man to take advantage and break free from her. She quickly got ready for hand-to-hand combat with him while the other pulled out the knife to attack her with it.

The man with the knife lunged at Lexa intent on subduing her but was unsuccessful when she kicked him hard that made him stagger back and drop the knife. He saw his partner get a hold of Lexa and he got ready to punch her but instead she managed to swing free and he instead punched his accomplice.

Lexa knew that her sword was too far away to reach and she couldn't see where her knife fell. Before she could find any weapon to fight back with, she felt a sting on her thigh before losing consciousness.

.

Clarke tapped her finger over her watch involuntarily as she waited for Lexa's return. She wondered if Lexa was detained by someone on her way back.

"Do you draw a lot?" one of the novitiates asked her.

"Not as much as I'd like," she replied truthfully.

"Why not?" the youngest asked her.

"Not many would stay still long enough for her to draw them," one of the boys joked.

Aden glared at him that made his smile fade. "I can go look for Heda."

"No, stay here," she said. "I'll go see what's keeping her." She figured the walk could help ease the cramp she was starting to feel in her legs. She felt a sense of danger when she entered the room and found it in disarray. She pulled out her gun while she assessed the area. She found Lexa's discarded knife and seeing regular blood on it eased her worry a little. She wondered if Lexa had subdued her attacker and was now in the dungeon meting out punishment. She was about to head down there when she bumped into Murphy. "John, what are you doing here?"

"Do you have the box?" he asked casually.

"What box?" she asked feigning ignorance.

"The one containing A.L.I.E. 2.0," he clarified blankly.

Clarke definitely knew something was wrong and raised her gun at him. "What have you done?"

He didn't even flinch and easily disarmed her. "I'll ask again, do you have the box?" He leveled the gun at Clarke. Before he could get an answer, someone clocked him from behind.

.

Clarke waited as Quark strapped Murphy to a chair. She was so glad he came when he did. She found a tranquilizer dart on Murphy and surmised that was how he subdued Lexa. Seeing no wound on him, she also figured that he had an accomplice. She ordered Quark to search the floor for them. While Quark was away, she checked on the box and was glad to see it was still there.

"The floor is clear," Quark said when he returned. "Maybe he will tell us where they took the commander." He drew his knife and woke him up when Clarke nodded her approval.

"I didn't see that coming," Murphy said with a smirk. "I'm surprised Lexa doesn't have guards following her around now."

"Where is she?" Clarke asked trying to remain calm and objective.

"Where she belongs," he answered mockingly. He felt the knife blade against his throat. "You can kill me but I won't tell you where she is."

Clarke plunged the dart onto his thigh to put him to sleep.

"Wanheda, why did you do that?" Quark asked in confusion. "We have ways to make him talk."

"He already showed me what I needed to know," Clarke said noting the dark blood coming out of his cut. "Go get Aden for me."

Quark didn't ask further and followed her order.

Clarke went to get the box and tried to remember where she had seen Lexa's hand when it opened the secret compartment. She realized that Murphy had somehow taken a pill and revealed what he knew about Becca and her box. Since he didn't know about the spare chip, she decided to take it out for safekeeping. She was disappointed that he had fallen under A.L.I.E.'s control but it explained why he had been missing since they got back to Arkadia. She guessed that since A.L.I.E. couldn't find the next version of Becca's code on Arkadia's computers, the information about the box from him made her interested and think it's in it.

"Wanheda, you sent for me?" Aden asked as he entered the room. He had clearly not been there before.

"I need your help," Clarke began to explain. She pulled him closer to the box that sat on the table. "This is going to sting a little." She guided his hand across the box until it pricked him. She quickly offered him a piece of cloth to nurse his finger but as to be expected, he refused it.

"What is it?" he asked curiously as the compartment opened.

Clarke knew it was hard to explain and she had more pressing matters than to go over it with him. "Aden, Heda had to leave unexpectedly. She would want you to manage things here until she returns." She picked out the items in the box and placed them on her to protect them from theft.

"Why didn't she tell us she was leaving?" he asked quite innocently. "Does Titus know?"

"Aden, do you trust me?" she asked placing a hand on his shoulder. She saw him ponder the question and waited for his reply.

"I trust you because Heda does," he replied.

Clarke knew it was an honest answer and had to be content with it. "Someone took Heda intending to harm her and I have to go to prevent that from happening."

"We should send soldiers," he suggested catching on to what was really happening.

"No, I can fix this," she insisted. "Please let me fix this." She saw him struggle with the decision but got what she wanted when he nodded his agreement.

"What will I tell Titus?" he asked knowing that he had to give him a suitable explanation.

"Tell him that we are working on stopping the missiles from launching," she told him knowing that Titus would accept that as a credible excuse for their sudden departure.

"May we meet again," he said before leaving the room.

"Quark," she called out to him. "We need to go after his accomplices." She saw him acknowledge the order and started to head out. "Wait, we need him with us." She picked up the box and signaled for him to carry Murphy.

Quark wasn't too pleased with that preferring to leave him behind. But because he was supposed to follow her orders, he picked up Murphy and walked out after her.

.

Clarke could see why Quark had wanted to leave Murphy behind. With him along, they were making slower progress in catching up to Lexa's abductors. But somehow she knew she needed him to gain insight into what A.L.I.E. was planning. She figured out that A.L.I.E. could use Murphy the same way but decided it was a risk she had to take.

"What if he wakes up?" Quark asked when they've ridden out of Polis.

"You can knock him out again," she replied giving her permission to keep Murphy unconscious. She considered stabbing him with another tranquilizer dart but decided to use it sparingly since she had only one left. As long as he was asleep, she counted on A.L.I.E. not knowing where they were.

"Why did he turn against the commander?" he ventured to ask. He guessed that Murphy had been instrumental in Lexa's abduction.

"Because he's following someone else's order to do so," she replied not wanting to get into more details around A.L.I.E. with him.

Quark seemed satisfied with that explanation. He was actually quite glad that Clarke didn't reprimand him for asking. He spotted a Skaikru vehicle up ahead in a clearing and alerted her to it. They got off their horses and prepared to engage whoever was in it.

Clarke wondered why it hadn't gone all the way to Arkadia but felt lucky that she might be able to rescue Lexa before it was too late. She heard a snap behind them and came face to face with Octavia with her sword. She showed her gun in a sign of surrender and saw Quark lower his sword as well.

"What are you doing here?" Octavia asked lowering her weapon. "I thought you were Jaha's men."

.

Lexa woke up as the sedative wore off. She looked at her surroundings and realized she was in a cell similar to the one Bellamy imprisoned her in Arkadia. She struggled against her bindings to try to escape.

"Welcome back," Jaha greeted her as he entered the cell with Bellamy right behind him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lexa demanded.

"A correction to my mistake," he replied. "I thought your presence here in Arkadia was detrimental to my plans but it turns out you are exactly what she was looking for."

Lexa feigned ignorance of what he was talking about noting his slip of the tongue. "Who and what are you talking about?"

"Let's just say that you will be our guest indefinitely," he pointed out.

"If I am a guest, why am I bound to this chair? Are you afraid of me?" she asked tauntingly.

"I'm not afraid of you," he replied confidently. "But I can't afford to have you escape before the box arrives."

Lexa remained placid so as not to give away that she knew what he was alluding to. She subtly looked at Bellamy and wondered if he had taken the pill and revealed her secret. "You dare to offend me for a box?"

Jaha smiled and felt justified in restraining her. "You would do the same for the greater good."

"I doubt it," she countered him.

"You'll come to my way of thinking soon enough," he declared. He signaled to Bellamy before he left the cell.

Bellamy came forward to check on Lexa's handcuffs. "Stop provoking him."

Lexa looked angrily at him and found an opening to head-butt him. She saw that she had effectively bloodied his nose again.

"Stop! You have no one else here to help you." He stood up angrily and pinched his nose to stop the bleeding.

.

Clarke followed Octavia to a cave where she found Jasper, Monty, and Raven waiting for them. She carried the box while Quark carried Murphy.

"How did you get that from Lexa?" Raven asked seeing the box.

"She really didn't have a choice," Clarke replied simply. "What are you all doing here?"

"Jaha has everyone in Arkadia under A.L.I.E.'s control," Octavia revealed.

"My mom and Kane, too?" Clarke asked with concern.

"No, they got away," Octavia continued. "Lincoln is looking for them right now."

"How did this happen?" Clarke asked knowing that Jaha had been converting a few but didn't realize it had spread to the entire camp.

"By threatening family and friends," Monty revealed obviously upset. "He tried to make me take it though my mother."

"Thankfully Jasper found him and stopped her," Raven explained. "That's when we realized we had to leave."

"What happened to him?" Octavia asked looking at Murphy.

"He took the pill," Clarke revealed. "A.L.I.E. knows about the box and Lexa." She saw her friends look among themselves with concern.

"She'll find out where we are when he wakes up," Jasper noted. "We should get rid of him."

Quark listened quietly and was ready to pick up Murphy when Clarke stopped him.

"We could still use him to find out what A.L.I.E. is planning," Clarke insisted.

"Or we can take the chip out," Raven said showing a contraption she had been working on before they evacuated from Arkadia.

"What is that?" Clarke asked.

"It's a directed EMP that will disable and extract the chip," Raven explained. "I haven't tested it but now is a good time as any."

Clarke debated with herself the options she had. She eventually agreed to let Raven go ahead. She watched as the device did what it was designed to do. "Did it work?"

"I guess so," Raven supposed. "We'll find out when he wakes up."

As the sun began to set, Clarke waited by the cave's entrance for any sign of Lincoln, Kane and her mother. She held on to the knife trying to think of what Lexa would do next.

"That's a beautiful knife," Octavia noted sitting next to her. "Did Lexa give it to you?"

"I gave it to her," Clarke replied. "She doesn't have any weapon to protect herself from Jaha." She actually worried that Lexa might get herself hurt.

"She's Lexa," Octavia reminded her. "She can take care of herself and even take Jaha down a peg or two."

"She's still vulnerable to bullets," Clarke reminded her worrying that Lexa would try to fight her way out surrounded by armed mindless drones under A.L.I.E.'s control.

"She's smarter than that," Octavia pointed out. "And Bellamy is still there to help protect her."

"Unless he has taken the pill, too," Clarke said gloomily.

"He hasn't the last time I saw him," Octavia revealed. "He actually helped us all escape Jaha's trap."

Clarke prayed that he could continue to be out of A.L.I.E.'s influence until they could come up with a plan to overthrow Jaha and A.L.I.E.

"Besides, if he did take one, I don't need Raven's device because I'll rip it out of him with my own knife," Octavia said.

"It's not that simple," Raven said overhearing they're discussion.

"Can we reuse your device on everyone?" Clarke asked.

"It'll take too long," Raven confessed. "It takes almost a day to recharge for one shot."

"By then we'll be overrun by Jaha's followers," Octavia noted. "Couldn't you make something that would take them all down at once?"

"It would require a massive amount of it even if they were all concentrated in one location," Raven pointed out crossly. "Why do you think I went for a more focused approach?"

"Sure, we'll just ask each one to wait in line while it recharges," Octavia countered.

"Please stop fighting," Clarke intervened. "We'll figure another way but first we have to think of a way to get Lexa out of Arkadia."


	21. Chapter 21

Lexa remained defiant when Jaha returned to see her to ask where the box was. She could tell that he had suffered a setback so he was back to get her to help him locate it.

"I only want to use it to restore order," Jaha entreated. "Don't you want that, too?"

Lexa considered her next move and decided to change her tactic. "How can the box do that?" She wanted to learn more about what he knew about it. She saw Jaha seem to consult with an invisible being.

"It contains code that we need to make things work again," he revealed.

"How does that bring order?" she inquired.

"We can rebuild the City of Light," he explained. "You should see the possibilities it brings and how peaceful it is."

Lexa determined he was delusional but wasn't going to confront him about it to keep him talking. "And who will lead the people to this new city?" She saw him hesitate and determined that was his weakness. "Will you be able to?"

Jaha felt arrogant enough that he decided to show her how he was planning to subjugate people. He motioned to Bellamy to release her from the chair and lead her to where they were manufacturing more of the pills. He picked one up and showed it to Lexa. "Soon there will be enough for everyone."

Lexa realized she and Clarke had been so close to uncovering the operation during their tour of Arkadia which is probably why he attacked her unexpectedly. She could still remember the sting of the stun stick on her back and felt her anger rise but she chose to remain calm. "I thought your people believed in voting for your leader."

"The affair with Pike has proven that they can easily change their minds," he pointed out. "I need absolute obedience." He offered a pill to her. "Join me."

.

Clarke woke up with a start and looked around for what may have startled her. She saw Quark standing guard by the cave's entrance and decided it was time to relieve him. "Go get some rest; I'll keep watch."

Quark noticed a movement outside and instinctively went for his sword. He saw Clarke also arm herself.

"Clarke," Lincoln called out revealing himself. Behind him were Kane and Abby.

"Mom," Clarke greeted her when she got close. She prepared herself for a reproach for leaving without telling her but instead was hugged by Abby.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Abby said. "But I thought you went to Polis so what are you doing here?" She was confident in the knowledge that Clarke was safe in Polis when Bellamy had warned them about Jaha's plan. Now she finds her daughter in the forest with them closer to danger than she would like.

"Jaha has Lexa in Arkadia," Clarke told her. "I'm going to get her back."

"It's too dangerous," Kane warned. "And it might be too late." He feared that Lexa would be forced to ingest a pill and become one of A.L.I.E.'s minions.

Clarke thought the same thing but hoped that he hadn't done that and Lexa's secret was still safe.

.

Lexa returned to her cell narrowly avoiding taking the pill that would have surely put her under A.L.I.E.'s control. She sat down and let Bellamy lock her in.

"That was a risky move," he opined. "Why can't you just stay out of his way?"

"If I did that then I wouldn't have learned what he is up to," she said. "Something you obviously missed."

Bellamy was surprised that she would even speak with him. "What makes you think I missed anything?"

"He isn't producing those chips just to control Skaikru," she explained. "He is planning to use them on the twelve clans."

Bellamy realized he miscalculated the extent of Jaha's plan since he thought that the pills were being made to continue controlling only his people. Hearing what Lexa thought expanded his understanding. "I'm surprised you trust me to tell me that."

"Because I know you haven't taken one," she said. "Your blood is still red."

"Hang tight. Give me some time and I'll figure out how to get you out of here," he promised realizing she head-butted him for a reason.

Lexa acknowledged him with a nod. She could see he had one more question.

"How did you know he wouldn't force you to take the pill?"

"Because he is afraid that I would take over as leader."

.

Clarke crouched low next to Octavia and Quark. The three of them made a plan to sneak into Arkadia and rescue Lexa. They arrived very early hoping that the guards were tired from the previous night's watch and everyone else was still asleep. They managed to stealthily enter into one of the less guarded section without incident.

"Where do you think they're keeping her?" Clarke asked with her knife drawn not wanting to use a gun to draw attention to their presence.

Octavia tilted her head towards the location she believed Lexa would be held in. They peeked into each cell until they found the one. Quark stayed outside to keep their escape route clear for them.

Lexa saw them and worried they were in over their heads. "Clarke, what are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Clarke asked teasingly. She unlocked her cuffs and helped her up.

"I expected you to talk her out of this," Lexa said addressing Octavia.

"You know her better than that," Octavia replied. "Either I came with her or she'd rescue you herself."

They turned to find Quark with his arms up and backing away from the door. Bellamy had his gun trained at them.

"Bellamy, let us go," Clarke requested walking up to him.

Bellamy reached for his stun stick and offered it to Clarke. He saw her hesitate and worried she wouldn't do it.

Lexa walked over and knocked him unconscious. She motioned for her rescuers to follow her out.

.

Lexa waited with Clarke as Octavia and Quark went ahead to ensure their path out of Arkadia was safe. "Clarke, you shouldn't have done this."

"You can scold me later," Clarke said just glad they were close to escaping. "Right now I just want us as far away from here as possible."

They both saw the all-clear signal and started heading towards the gate when they both saw a familiar object being brought into Arkadia.

"What is the box doing here?" Lexa asked Clarke knowing it was she who took it out of its hiding spot.

"I brought it with me," Clarke admitted. "I didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands. I don't know how it ended up here."

"We have to get it back," Lexa said starting to head towards it.

"No we don't," Clarke said pulling Lexa back. "It's not important because it won't work without you; I also took out the contents and hid them."

Lexa was glad to hear about the proactive measures Clarke took and was willing to abandon the box until they both saw who it was that brought it there. As soon as he saw them, he sounded the alarm and everyone under A.L.I.E.'s control turned to pursue them. "Run!"

Octavia and Quark saw the mob that gave chase and prepared to help Clarke and Lexa over the wall since the gate was no longer an option. Quark got a hold of Lexa when she jumped up but Octavia couldn't reach Clarke. All three tried to reach her to no avail so Lexa jumped back down to give her a boost. With the swarm getting closer, Lexa looked up and signaled to Quark before facing the crowd to buy them time to escape.

"No!" Clarke yelled wanting to follow but was held back by Quark who pulled her off the wall to safety on the other side of it. "Let me go!" She struggled to get back on her feet quickly to run back in.

"We have to go," Octavia said as she landed beside them. "They'll be here soon."

Clarke ignored her and pushed past her to run towards the gate again only to be picked up by Quark and slung over his shoulder as he ran the opposite direction away from Arkadia.

Octavia followed making sure that no one followed them as they made their escape. She could see that Clarke wasn't pleased and trying to reach for her weapons to make Quark stop.

.

Clarke pounded on Quark's back all the way back to the cave. She couldn't reach any of her weapons so resorted to the ineffective method of expressing her displeasure with him as best she could. She didn't care how ridiculous she looked or that her hands were starting to hurt.

Quark set her down gently when they were back and prepared for the worse of Clarke's anger.

Clarke initially thought her rage was spent but as soon as her feet hit the ground, she reached for her gun and aimed it at him. "Why?" She had already figured out that he was following Lexa's order so she demanded to know that much.

"The commander will never forgive me if anything happened to you," he explained hoping it was enough.

"You're supposed to follow my orders! I will never forgive you if anything happens to her." she seethed.

"Clarke, what's going on?" Abby asked as she and Kane approached the three of them. She tried to understand what had happened since they found out they had left without telling anyone.

"Clarke, it's not his fault," Octavia tried to defend his action. "We had no other choice." She knew it could have gone very wrong quickly if they hadn't left.

Clarke was visibly struggling with herself on what she wanted and what was the right thing. She eventually lowered her gun and stormed off wanting to be alone.

Abby was about to follow when Octavia pulled her back.

"She needs time to clear her head," Octavia noted. "And you, I think you should stay out of her sight for a while." She addressed Quark who obviously didn't want to but agreed.

Clarke got to a small clearing and fell to her knees. She felt like she could hardly breathe as she tried to accept that she had failed to rescue Lexa.

.

Lexa found herself back in the cell she had just left and Jaha hovering over her with a smug smile as she was restrained once again.

"You can't fight the inevitable," he informed her signaling for the box to be brought in. "You can't stop progress."

"What you call progress I see as suppression," she pointed out.

Jaha looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before looking at the box. "Someday you'll thank me for this." He took her free hand and placed it on the box to activate it.

Lexa strained to pull her hand off it but eventually it was placed over the biometric scanner. To her surprise, it didn't launch the hologram as expected.

Jaha turned to look at the invisible being trying to determine his next move. He tried again and realized it would not help any.

Lexa realized that somehow the box wasn't only tuned to her handprint but her will. She smiled to herself and silently thanked Pramheda for that deliberate design. What happened next took her by surprise and she had no way to avoid or counter it.

.

Clarke returned to the cave calmer than when she left it earlier. She had resolved to do better on their next attempt to get Lexa back. She found her friends and mom packing up ready to leave.

"Ready to go?" Octavia asked when she noticed her. "I'm surprised Jaha hasn't sent anyone yet but it's better to get going before they come for us."

Clarke agreed but had to go back into the cave to retrieve something. She made it a point that no one followed her.

"Is she back yet?" Lincoln asked when he returned with Quark. They had scouted ahead for a new place and found one that was easy to defend.

Octavia nodded and gave Quark a quick push to start hiking back to their new camp to get it started. "You can bring them along when they're ready." She gave Lincoln a quick hug before leaving.

"I'm worried," Abby said as she worked with Kane to put the last of their supplies into the vehicle. "She's putting herself in danger trying to save Lexa. We don't even know if she's one of them yet."

"She's not. Besides, we need her if we want to stand a chance against A.L.I.E.," Clarke reminded her.

"Does she even know how to fight A.L.I.E.?" Abby ventured to ask.

"None of us do," Clarke replied. "We just have to work together to find out."

"In that case, remember that we need to work together to get her out of there the next time you try," Kane noted. "Maybe we'll do better as a team."

"I'm sorry," Clarke admitted her mistake. "I just wanted her out of there before anything happens to her. If A.L.I.E. takes control of her, we don't stand a chance against the other twelve clans."

Abby gave her a hug knowing how frightening that thought was. She mouthed a thanks to Kane.

"We should go," Clarke announced and looked around at her friends.

"What about …" Monty began to say.

"He's one of them now," Clarke told them sadly. "I want everyone to cut yourselves to prove that you're not one of them." She watched as each one proved that they were A.L.I.E.-free. With that out of the way, they started to head to their new camp.


	22. Chapter 22

Lexa opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar room. She wondered how she got there and what to do next. She heard the door start to open and instinctively went for her sword. She was surprised to find it by her side.

"You're awake," a familiar face greeted her amicably. "You had me worried there for a minute."

Lexa remained silent and merely looked at the other woman before her. She wasn't sure if she was friend or foe yet so she kept her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"There is no need for that," the woman pointed out noticing her tense body language. "Don't you recognize me?"

"Becca?" Lexa asked hesitantly.

"Good, so you should know I mean you no harm," Becca said with a smile. She saw Lexa relax a little. "You must have a lot of questions for me."

"Where am I?" Lexa asked the most pertinent one.

"This is our sanctuary," Becca said beckoning for her to follow.

Lexa joined her by the large window that overlooked the forest. She gathered she was in a canopy building that had stunning views of a verdant land. "Why am I here?"

"I think it's time we join forces to make the future better," Becca revealed. "Together we can achieve what once was only a possibility."

Lexa nodded with interest. She heard a faint and distant voice speak but couldn't make out what was being said.

"Come, let me show you around," Becca offered drawing her attention back.

"What happened?" Harper asked as she approached Bellamy who was carrying Lexa's unconscious body to med bay.

"Jaha gave her a pill," he revealed.

"So she's one of them now?" she asked worriedly. "That can't be good."

"I don't think so," he said. "Something is different; she's not quite like us."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously as she followed him into a small room.

Bellamy picked up a scanner and ran it over Lexa's nape and revealed two chips attached to her. He could tell that the dominant one was Lexa's and the chip Jaha gave her was attempting to gain control.

"How did that happen?" Harper was surprised that two chips could exist in one person.

Bellamy quickly related what it all meant as he wondered what to do next.

"So where is Jaha?" she asked looking around expecting him to waltz right in.

"He wanted to take control but I think A.L.I.E. has other plans," he revealed. "When I left him, he was on the floor suffering a headache."

.

Clarke sat by the campfire and stoked the fire. She watched as the ambers floated up and went over the plan they have just discussed in her mind to be sure there was no scenario that she may have missed that could jeopardize their attempt to free Lexa. She wished Lexa was there to talk to and bounce ideas off with.

"You should rest Clarke."

Clarke was startled. For a moment she thought it was Lexa speaking. "I'm not tired." She realized it was her mom who uttered those words as she sat next to her.

"Even so, you can't keep going like this," Abby warned. "We'll get her out of there."

The plan relied on her distracting Jaha with a fake chip that she'd claim was A.L.I.E. 2.0 so that Octavia's team could try to bust Lexa out of Arkadia. She, Kane and Quark would drive up to the front gate and make him come for it hoping it was enough to distract everyone under A.L.I.E.'s control counting on their hive mentality.

"It's not going to work," John said playing devil's advocate. "He will recognize that chip and know you're trying to save Lexa not that he didn't already know that with your failed attempt today."

Quark gripped his sword tightly wanting to strike but relaxed when he saw Clarke subtly shake her head to indicate her wish for him not to do anything.

"We need to modify it a little and he won't be the wiser," Raven suggested trying to think of what would convince him it wasn't one of his chips.

"He'll want to inspect it and when he swallows it he'll know you tricked him," John insisted. "You'll be caught and we'll lose more than we gained."

"I don't plan to get caught," Clarke said confidently. "If he wants the chip, he'll have to come out in the open where we will be ready for him and his men."

John shook his head still unconvinced. "There's not enough of us to overpower them."

"We created ditches to disable their vehicles," Kane revealed. "They can't run after us on foot."

"And what if you get caught in it?"

"We have a safe spot and we'll blow it up as soon as we pass it," Kane explained hoping John would be satisfied with the thoroughness of their plan. He was glad to see him seem to accept it.

"How do we know he won't just reveal our plan to our enemy?" Quark asked obviously still distrustful of Murphy.

"Are you going to punch me again?" John asked acidly. He quickly regretted that challenge when Quark stepped closer.

"Stop," Clarke ordered them both. "I think we can trust each other and already know who has betrayed us."

They all looked at each other and felt sad for the one who was missing.

"I still can't believe he would do that," Raven said with disappointment. "At least he didn't know about Lexa."

"What about Lexa?" Monty asked innocently. He saw Clarke and Raven exchange looks.

"Monty, it's probably best if you didn't know," Clarke said wanting to keep a tight hold of Lexa's secret.

"Do you know when he joined Jaha's forces?" Kane asked John.

"It must have been after I was knocked out," John supposed. "I haven't seen him in the alternate reality while I was in it."

"We've been with him since the evacuation," Raven said trying to recall when he may have slipped in a pill.

"I think it was before then," Monty said sadly. "He hasn't been the same since Mount Weather."

"But why would he have prevented you from taking a pill?" Abby asked.

"Because he needed us to trust him," Clarke said realizing it was A.L.I.E.'s ploy to gain their confidence to keep tabs on them through him. She was glad that he hadn't been brought into the inner circle early enough to cause harm.

"Change of plans," Octavia announced when she joined them. "Something's happened and we need to go now."

.

Lexa explored on her own when Becca excused herself abruptly. She noticed some urgency in her departure but decided it gave her some time to familiarize herself with where she was. She opened a door and found herself outside the building.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" a man asked her.

"Are there anyone else besides us?" she asked.

"There are out there," he replied pointing to the forest past the wall. "You will meet them soon when they are ready."

"What do you mean?" she inquired with curiosity. She noticed him hesitate trying to find an answer.

"Becca is counting on you to convince them to embrace the new world order," he tried to explain.

"The new world order?"

"Peace and order as prescribed by you and Becca," he continued.

Lexa noticed that he seemed coached on what to say and wondered why that was. "What happens if anyone refuses it?"

"Then they will be banished from your lands," he said plainly.

Lexa knew that was what she imposed on her people but hoped for a better way. She suddenly felt the ground shake beneath her and was quickly guided back into the building where things were calm and quiet. "What was that?"

Harper stopped her vehicle and spoke with the guards at the gate. "Let me pass, I have to dispose these before they start to stink up the place."

The guards insisted on checking her cargo so she reluctantly opened the back. One of them started to unzip a body bag.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she warned him but saw him ignore her. Sure enough the stench made him double over and he quickly closed it up again. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She hopped back into the vehicle and drove off.

.

Clarke paced back and forth impatiently as they waited at the rendezvous spot. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"I'm sure," Octavia replied with a frown. "This is where he said he'd meet with me."

"And you're sure he's not compromised?" Kane asked. He didn't get an answer because a vehicle drove into view and they got ready to meet it.

"Stay back in case it's a trap," Clarke said choosing to approach with Octavia when it was close.

Harper got out of the vehicle and looked around. She had her weapon primed for any unexpected threat to her and her passenger.

"Where's Bellamy?" Octavia asked with her weapon drawn as well when she emerged from behind the trees.

"He sent me," Harper replied dropping her gun as a sign of good intention. "You know your sword is no match for my gun right?" She couldn't help but tease her.

"But she has me covering her," Clarke said revealing herself as well with her gun still aimed at Harper.

"Ok, I come in peace," Harper said raising her hands. She yelped when Octavia gave her a quick cut to prove she was still red-blooded.

"How come Jaha hasn't forced you to take a pill?" Octavia asked.

"Because he doesn't have enough yet and he thinks I'm not a threat to him because I still followed his orders until now." She walked to the back of the vehicle and pulled out body bags piled two layers deep.

Clarke's eyes widened with worry until Harper pulled open the one containing Lexa's unconscious body. "What happened?" She quickly checked on Lexa's pulse to be sure she was alive.

"She has both chips in her now," Harper explained. "Bellamy thinks that if there's anyone who can figure out how to take one of them out, it would be you."

"It's too late," Octavia said sadly. "A.L.I.E. controls Lexa now."

"No! I'm not giving up on her," Clarke insisted trying to stay optimistic. "She's counting on us to help her get A.L.I.E. out of her head."

"What?" Kane asked as he overheard the last part when they approached. "Are we too late?"

"It's never too late," Clarke said. "We just have to find a way to fix this."

"Well, let's get her back to camp," Abby suggested knowing that they had to get to a safer location.

"Why did Bellamy stay behind?" Clarke asked Harper.

"He thinks he can still be useful staying behind," Harper passed along his message. "He just wants you to know you can count on him."

.

Lexa watched as people around her were abuzz trying to determine what had happened. She stood next to Becca who quietly waited for a report.

"Have you given more thought to my plan?" Becca asked.

"I'm still considering it," Lexa admitted still uncertain if she would accept it.

"You've succeeded in uniting the clans and it is the logical next step," Becca said trying to convince her again.

"One of your men thinks that my people aren't ready," Lexa said. "Do you think the same way?"

"I have faith in you," Becca assured her. "I'm certain that together we can make it work."

Lexa wished that Clarke was there to consult with but it was obvious she was on her own on this one. "If you don't mind, I'd like some time to prepare my people for it." She saw Becca was pleased until she received a printed report which clouded her face.

"Please stay inside the building from now on until we can determine how to stop the quakes," Becca suggested.

"Is there a problem?" Lexa asked. "Maybe I can help."

"You can help by agreeing to rebuild this world with me," Becca said overeagerly.

Lexa noted Becca's impatience and wondered why she was being so.

"When you are ready of course; until then I'd like you to be safe within this building." Becca realized her misstep and backtracked. She waited for Lexa's agreement before letting her leave her presence.

.

Clarke waited as her mother and Raven conferred about how best to extract the second chip out of Lexa. She saw the scanned image Bellamy took and knew it would be a difficult task but hoped it can be done.

"It's too late," John said pessimistically. "You should have gotten her out the first time." He saw Clarke's angry look towards him but it didn't deter him.

"Blaming her isn't going to help," Kane intervened. He saw John back down only when Quark made a move towards him.

"I'm just saying that if we got to her sooner, this wouldn't have happened," John said as a parting shot.

"Don't mind him," Monty said. "We'll figure something out." He stood up when Abby and Raven rejoined their group.

"I'm afraid we don't know how to separate the two chips without damaging A.L.I.E. 2.0," Abby said when Raven didn't speak up. "If we use Raven's device, it will destroy both and if I operate, I could sever Lexa's chip or worse her spinal cord."

Clarke's shoulders dropped as she recalled John's earlier assessment of her rescue effort. "We can't just give up on her. There has to be another way that we can split the two."

"We can if we turn off the second chip but I'm afraid I have no way to make a smaller version of my device," Raven finally spoke up. "It requires a minute amount of EMP directed at it and hopefully won't get transferred to the other through the tendrils that seem to have latched on tightly."

"What do you need to create one?" Clarke said already planning to sneak back into Arkadia to get them for her.

"You can't be seriously thinking of going back there," Abby said knowing what Clarke was thinking.

"It's the only way we can help Lexa," Clarke argued. "Our previous plan can still work to sneak Octavia and I into Arkadia."

"There won't be any sneaking in anymore," Octavia announced catching the tail end of that conversation. "We have to go! Jaha has sent his men to look for us and I mean a lot of them."

"Where's Lincoln?" Kane asked as he prepared to evacuate yet again.

"He's keeping them busy on a wild goose chase," Octavia revealed. "But once they find out it's just him, they'll come looking for us."

"Where should we go?" Harper asked knowing that they were pretty much at the edge of the forest and nowhere else to hide safely.

"We should go to the mansion," John suggested having been within earshot of them.

Everyone turned to him with identical questioning looks.

"It's where we first encountered A.L.I.E.," John explained. "It has computers and equipment that could help her."

"How do we know it's not a trap?" Abby asked suspiciously. "You may have proven you're no longer under A.L.I.E.'s control but you could have some ulterior motive for suggesting that."

"We shouldn't trust him," Quark agreed.

"I hate her just as much as you do," he replied. "I want to free Emori from her and you can help me do that only if I help you first."

Clarke quickly realized that was how Jaha got him to take the chip and the perfect thing for them to keep him in line. "Where is it?"

Everyone turned back to look at Clarke this time with looks of disbelief.

"It's the last place she'd think to look for us," Clarke said. "A.L.I.E. assumes that what she needs is in Arkadia; she won't think that there's anything in the mansion worth going back for."

"Except Lexa," Octavia reminded her. "And right about now, I think Lexa may be acting like a beacon for her to follow."

"I don't think so," Clarke defended Lexa. "There's a reason she's unconscious because no one else who has taken it was for this long except if they were sedated." She turned to look at John for confirmation.

"So you think that Lexa is protecting us by remaining this way?" Abby asked and saw Clarke nod. She found that line of reasoning sound and was glad for Lexa's effort if it were true.

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough," Octavia said motioning to Quark to help get Lexa into the vehicle. "If you're wrong Clarke, I'll beat you up before we're caught."


	23. Chapter 23

Lexa tried to learn as much as she could while she was free to roam around the building. She was glad that everyone seemed to be preoccupied with the issues outside. She tried to be careful not to draw attention to herself while she snooped around. She entered a room with a group of people who appeared to be watching screens that had video feeds from outside the wall. This intrigued her so she stayed while they monitored what was going on out there. She recognized them as being from each of the clans.

"Would you like to see anything in particular?" a woman close to her offered.

Lexa was interested in one clan for sure but saw that they were not among those already shown. She decided to decline the offer and just observed what they were already currently surveilling. "How long have you been watching my people?"

"Since I've been here," the woman replied vaguely. "We are glad that you are finally here and look forward to a better future."

Lexa once again felt that this was repetitive rhetoric that Becca wanted her to hear. She made up her mind that she would not be swayed by it and hold out until she knew what Becca's end game was. She noticed the videos flicker and the people around the room got busy to restore them.

.

Clarke held Lexa in her arms as they drove towards the mansion that John was leading them to. She hoped that she made the right decision and that there would be a solution waiting for them at their destination. If there wasn't she was fresh out of ideas on how to help Lexa.

"We've got company," Octavia announced when Kane slowed down to a halt. She was the first to jump out to face the men on horseback approaching them.

"Why are we stopping?" Abby asked. "We can certainly outrun them."

"We could but that would just raise suspicion," Kane explained his choice. "And we'll be going through many Grounder villages to our destination."

Clarke agreed with him and got out herself to see who was approaching. She figured if it was a contingent of Lexa's guards, they could use the help to keep their pursuers at bay.

"What do you think?" Octavia asked as they stood side-by-side with weapons at the ready.

"It's Roan," Clarke announced when she recognized the lead horseman and lowered her gun. She signaled for her companions to do the same.

"Wanheda," Roan greeted her when he approached. He looked around at her companions before continuing. "Have you seen the commander?"

Clarke nodded slightly and signaled for him to have a private conversation away from everyone else.

Roan dismounted and followed her to hear what she had to say.

"Did Titus send you?" she asked worried that he would demand her return to Polis.

"Actually it was Aden who sent me," he replied. "As far as Titus is concerned, you and Lexa are on a quest to stop future missile threats."

Clarke was glad Titus bought that story because it gave her more time to fix their current predicament.

"I think he has no reason to doubt that especially since you've gone off on your own before," he noted indicating he knew there was more to it than that. "Will you tell me what is really going on?"

Clarke decided he was trustworthy enough and told him what had happened in simple terms and why they were fleeing from Arkadia.

"Go, I'll make sure they don't follow you," he offered. "Just be sure you heal her before it is too late."

Clarke was glad for his support and got back into the vehicle to resume their journey. No sooner had she done so when two vehicles came rushing towards them. She watched as Roan and his men tried to slow them down. "We have to help them."

.

Lexa noticed the dwindling number of people around the building as time progressed. She wondered why that was as well as the glitches that seem to be occurring more often lately. She hoped it was an indication that she would soon be released from her obvious confinement. She longed to be back in the forest at the very least if not in Polis.

"Lexa," Becca beckoned to her. "Have you decided yet?"

Lexa shook her head hoping to have more time before she agrees to Becca's terms. She knew there had to be another option but her isolation prevents her from seeing alternatives.

"Time is running out quickly," Becca revealed hoping it would sway her.

"I need to consult with my ambassadors," Lexa said feigning an inability to make a decision unilaterally.

Becca knew better than to force the issue so she decided to focus on what she could control. "I will be leaving you for a while. I hope that you have the answer I require when I return."

"Where are you going?" Lexa asked.

"I'll be near if you need me," Becca replied indirectly. "I just need to attend to matters that don't concern you at the moment. Remember not to go outside for your own safety."

Lexa watched as Becca leave her without another word. She decided to return to the room where she saw the screens to watch what was going on with her people. She figured out how to operate the system by observing the operators earlier and easily mirrored their actions to get what she wanted to see.

.

Clarke was glad to see another vehicle charge through and ram their pursuers incapacitating all vehicles. She wondered who it was behind the wheel but didn't have time to dwell on it as they turned and were out of sight.

"How will Lincoln find us?" Abby wondered as they got further from the forest they were just in.

"He'll figure it out," Octavia said confidently. "I'll be disappointed in him if he doesn't."

Eventually they arrived at their destination and the weary travelers headed into the mansion with John up front. He opened the doors and watched his companions marvel at the place.

Raven and Monty somehow managed to find the computer room instinctively and started to tinker with what was there. Quark carried Lexa's body up to a room with Clarke before heading out to go on patrol with Octavia. Kane and Abby explored to familiarize themselves with the place.

Clarke watched over Lexa while she slept. "Don't give up because I'm not," she whispered into Lexa's ear. She kissed her on the forehead before drifting off to sleep beside her.

.

Lexa couldn't explain it especially since she was all alone in the room but she felt a familiar presence with her. That was enough to spur her further in her investigation of why Becca was surveilling her people. She tried to determine from who's point of view they were from and possibly why. She could tell that the feeds were current and relevant.

"Why don't you rest?" a voice asked her from out of nowhere.

Lexa turned to look for the source of the voice but couldn't determine where it came from. She wondered if her mind was playing tricks on her because she was all alone. She didn't dwell too long on that thought when she saw familiar faces on the screens.

.

Clarke woke up refreshed and found Octavia by the door. "Why don't you rest?" She could tell Octavia was tired.

"I was about to but I wanted to check on you two first," Octavia replied. "How is she?"

"Still no change," Clarke said sadly looking at Lexa's sleeping form.

"It could be a good sign," Octavia supposed. "You're not sure what's going on with her are you?" She could tell Clarke made her claim earlier to make them take Lexa with them.

"All I know is we need to get her back," Clarke admitted.

"Did your parents ever tell you fairy tale stories when you were young?" Octavia asked. "Don't they usually require love's true kiss or something?" She gave Clarke a quick nudge before leaving to get some rest.

Clarke smiled remembering her dad doing exactly that. She didn't think it would help but knew it wouldn't hurt either. She gave Lexa a quick kiss on the lips.

"Clarke! Come quick," Raven called out from the foyer not knowing where she was. She saw Clarke rush towards her and she led her back to where Monty was continuing their work on a computer.

"What did you find?" Clarke asked seeing the excitement in Monty's face.

"Look," Raven prompted her and pointed to the large screen on the wall. They saw Becca come into view and speaking to someone.

"We think this is from Lexa's point of view," Monty guessed. "Her chip must be transmitting a signal that the computer is picking up."

"So we can see what she sees," Raven explained happily. "We can probably figure out how to add audio, too."

"Something's not right," Clarke noted as she watched Becca's behavior closely. "I don't think she's Becca."

.

Lexa watched leaders of the clans come into view now and again and worried that whoever were watching for Becca were close to them. She still couldn't decide whether it was a good or a bad thing.

"Find anything interesting?" Becca asked.

"Why are you watching them?" Lexa inquired casually.

"To see if they're ready," Becca said. "Just as I know you are; you have proven yourself a worthy successor, Lexa. I'm very proud of what you've accomplished." She gave her an approving smile.

Lexa smiled subtly in response to her verbal approval.

"You are not alone now," Becca said. "The next step is a big one and you can count on me to help you. Will you let me?" She leaned in close almost touching her nose to Lexa's.

Lexa pursed her lips while trying to determine what Becca was going to do next. She knew enough not to offend her though.

.

Clarke watched and waited for Lexa's next move as she made up her mind that the woman they were looking at wasn't Becca.

"What makes you think she's not Becca?" Raven asked noting that she looked exactly like the hologram from the box.

"Because that's not how she acts," Clarke explained. "You've seen both of them; can't you tell the difference?"

Raven looked closer and tried to make the distinction. "She looks exactly like Becca but you're right, she does act slightly differently."

"How can you tell the difference?" John asked having joined them with Abby and Kane to see what the commotion was.

"She behaves arrogantly," Clarke noted. "Becca isn't like that when we saw her. She seemed genuinely caring and unassertive."

"Could it just be because she's trying to kiss Lexa?" Abby asked noticing her nearness to Lexa.

Clarke shot her a warning look. "It's not that. I think she's A.L.I.E. posing as Becca to make Lexa lower her guard."

"You could be right," Monty agreed watching the computer monitor. "I recognize this code and it is A.L.I.E. trying to merge with what I believe is the A.L.I.E. 2.0 code." He pointed to the screen but saw blank stares from most except Raven.

"You're right," Raven confirmed. "I didn't notice that before." She watched as the code seem to try to attach itself to the other.

"We need to get a message to Lexa so she won't allow that to happen," Kane said what all of them are thinking.

"I guess I can punch a hole in her firewall," Monty proposed.

"No! It's the only thing keeping A.L.I.E. from taking control of her," Clarke rejected the idea immediately. "We're going to make her vulnerable by doing that."

Monty agreed and felt bad for even suggesting it.

"If we can see through her, can we somehow contact her through the computer?" Abby asked.

"I don't think so," Monty said. "Becca made this to see what the chip would but didn't complete it to let us hear or send messages to it."

Clarke was disappointed seeing that A.L.I.E. was so close to fooling Lexa into joining with her.

"Maybe these can help," Kane offered handing them journals he and Abby found.

Raven quickly took them and pored through them to find ways to help Lexa.

.

Lexa pulled away from Becca preferring to take her time to make a major decision. "Perhaps if I could consult with my ambassadors, I can make an informed decision on how ready my people are."

Becca couldn't understand why Lexa was holding out. "You are the leader of your people so they should follow you."

Lexa nodded in agreement. "But have you forgotten the rules you put in place to ensure no commander can blindly lead the people the wrong path? It requires consulting the ambassadors and their unanimous vote."

Becca's eyes flashed with anger for an instant at that obstacle until she realized that she had to win Lexa to her side to accomplish her plan. "Very well, I will assemble the ambassadors for you." She turned and left Lexa on her own again.

.

Clarke waited while Raven and Monty tried to figure things out. She was crestfallen when they reiterated their initial findings.

"It's just not possible," Monty said. "There's no way to send her messages except when she is physically awake."

"But Lexa said she communicated with the commanders before her in her dreams," Clarke said. "Can't we find a way to do the same thing?"

"We don't know enough about the chip to be able to do that," Raven admitted. "These journals aren't that detailed enough."

"Besides, are you sure she was communicating with them or was she just using avatars to run scenarios in her head?" Monty asked. "I think Becca meant for the chip to be self-sufficient. It's creating things that it needs when it needs it."

Clarke considered it a moment and had to agree with his assessment. "But how is A.L.I.E. preventing Lexa from breaking free?"

"Because she doesn't have any reason to think otherwise," Raven presumed. "She just needs to realize that isn't Becca she's talking to."

"Do you know why A.L.I.E. just left her?" Clarke asked noticing Lexa was on her own.

"I think A.L.I.E. is distracted by something," Monty surmised. "Perhaps trying to control people in Arkadia and gaining Lexa's trust is too much for her to do simultaneously over a great distance."

"Do we have a way to keep her distracted if not destroy her?" Clarke asked.

"Becca mentioned a poison pill virus that could wipe her out but I think she has to take it unknowingly," Raven mentioned.

"Or we can create a kill switch," Monty proposed.

"As long as either one won't harm Lexa," Clarke approved. "I'm willing to try anything."

Raven and Monty exchanged looks knowing that might be a tall order.

"Remember, we need her to keep the clans from destroying us," Clarke reminded them.

.

Lexa wandered through the building and realized she was all alone there. She looked out the window towards the forest trying to decide whether she should ignore Becca's warning and leave the building to go there.

"I'm coming," a voice said. She turned expecting to see who spoke those words but found no one. She worried about what it meant and hoped that it was just her wishful thinking brought about by her seclusion.

Lexa entered what looked to be the command center and studied the map shown on the screen. She saw a distinctive mountain that seemed to be Becca's planned destination. She zoomed in to see what was there and saw a structure that looked similar to the missile silo she was in with Clarke. She could tell by its size that it controlled more than just a few missiles.

"Wait for me," the voice said.

Lexa decided to ignore the voice and concentrate on what she was looking at. She was beginning to piece the puzzle together. It was glaringly obvious Becca needed her help badly to get the clans to conform and if she or they didn't do so, the alternative could be catastrophic.

"Don't give up," the voice said.

Lexa made up her mind that she was going to head to the missile silo and do what she could to eliminate it as a threat to her people.

.

Clarke saw Lincoln arrive and lift Octavia off the ground as she welcomed him. She approached to greet him as well.

"We have a problem," he said without delay when he saw her. "Jaha is planning to take control of the ambassadors."

"How do you know that?" Octavia asked.

"Bellamy is leading a team to Polis to do just that," he revealed. "King Roan and I followed him and when he was alone, we convinced him to reveal his mission."

"Convince?" Octavia wondered trying to figure what that meant.

"We had to make sure he wasn't lying," he said unapologetically.

Clarke realized that A.L.I.E. must have changed her tactic because Lexa didn't trust her even as Becca. She was glad about that but it also meant that she was now a target as well.

"King Roan has gone back to Polis to make sure the ambassadors are safe," he revealed figuring out what Clarke was thinking. "He sent me here to protect you."

Clarke was grateful but she preferred him helping Roan protect the other ambassadors.

"Don't worry, Roan has his men with him," he added to assure her they had it covered.

Clarke's resolve to reach Lexa got stronger with this development. She turned away from the pair without another word.


	24. Chapter 24

Lexa got out of the building and tried to open the gates. It was locked and she wondered where she could find the key.

"Why do you keep wanting to leave?" Becca asked appearing out of nowhere. "Don't you feel safe here?"

"I'm just curious what lies beyond the walls," Lexa explained her eagerness to leave its confines.

"You can see what is outside from here," Becca reminded her. "Soon I'll have your ambassadors assembled here to discuss the future."

Lexa changed her mind about leaving and decided to wait until she knew more about Becca's new plan with her ambassadors.

.

Clarke found Raven and pulled her into the room where Lexa was. "Do you still have one of the chips?"

"Yes, why?" Raven asked warily.

"I need it to reach Lexa," Clarke said.

"Have you lost your mind?" Raven was clearly alarmed and about to shake Clarke to her senses.

"No," Clarke quickly assured her. "I have a second chip like Lexa's that I can use to protect me from A.L.I.E." She showed her the chip and vial of black liquid that would allow it to thrive in her or her to survive its effects depending on which way one looked at it.

"Where did you get that?" Raven asked in astonishment. "I was right then; the box contained more than just the hologram."

Clarke nodded to confirm while preparing herself for the next step.

"How do you know it will work the same way?" Raven asked cautiously.

"It has to," Clarke said hopefully. "Unless you have a better idea, I think this is our best chance of reaching Lexa before it's too late. A.L.I.E. is already going after the ambassadors to force Lexa to submit to her."

Raven didn't have one but worried they'd lose Clarke as well. "Your mom isn't going to agree to this."

"I don't need her permission," Clarke declared forcefully. "I just need your help. Will you?"

"There has to be another way," Raven tried to talk her out of it.

"I'm already a target as an ambassador," Clarke pointed out. "At least this way I'll be safe from it like Lexa is."

Raven hesitated but saw no other alternative so she agreed and watched Clarke proceed to implant the spare A.L.I.E. 2.0 chip into herself. She saw Clarke convulse as the chip start to take hold of her and tried her best to help her. She worried that her friend had bitten more than she could chew until she saw her regain consciousness. "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly I feel fine," Clarke said calmly. She was still trying to acclimatize to what the chip was doing to her.

Raven observed carefully for any change in Clarke now that she had a chip in her. She worried that she'd be like Lexa.

"I don't think I've changed much," Clarke teased her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Raven asked again with concern. She held on to the other chip hoping she didn't have to give it to her.

"I'm positive," Clarke said confidently extending her hand to receive the chip.

"What about the poison pill virus?" Raven asked not certain if she was willing to take that with her.

"Send it to me and give me a sign when you have the kill switch completed." She held Lexa's hand before taking the other chip and lay down beside her.

Raven watched as Clarke seemed to have fallen asleep and hoped for the best. She took one last look before heading to continue working with Monty.

.

Lexa listened carefully as Becca explained her new plan. She then got distracted when she sensed something different about the place.

"What's the matter?" Becca asked noticing her distraction.

"What if the clans oppose this?" Lexa inquired innocently trying to divert her attention back to the topic at hand.

"They won't if you're with me," Becca said confidently. "We must be united in this to make it work." She tried to reach for Lexa who eluded her once again by side-stepping her.

Lexa moved forward when she saw the familiar path to Polis. She knew she had to make a move soon before it was too late.

.

Clarke found herself in the middle of a long hallway and wondered which way to take. She had a fifty-fifty chance of picking the right path. She closed her eyes and hoped the chip would show her the way and when she opened her eyes, she found herself in front of a big window looking out to the forest. She looked down and saw Lexa walking in the garden below.

"What have you done?" a voice asked.

Clarke turned expecting to see her mother but didn't. She concluded that it was the real world seeping into the virtual world and hoped that Lexa had heard her when she whispered into her ear while she was unconscious. She didn't think too long about it as she found a way down and out of the building. She practically ran towards Lexa once she was in the garden. "Lexa!" She stopped in her tracks when Lexa turned and revealed Becca was next to her.

Lexa looked at Clarke with indifference trying not to let on how she really felt.

"It's me, Clarke; don't you remember me?" Clarke asked hoping she would recognize her.

"Get rid of her," Becca commanded. "She's a virus sent to destroy us."

Lexa gripped the handle of her sword and looked squarely at Clarke.

"She's lying," Clarke said immediately unsure what A.L.I.E. had done to Lexa. "She's not Becca; she's A.L.I.E. pretending to be her."

"You've known me since your ascension," Becca countered. "You barely know her and she is the reason many of our people have died."

Lexa approached Clarke with her hand still at the ready and studied her closer. "Why are you here?"

"To warn you that she's not who she appears to be," Clarke replied earnestly. "And to return this to you." She drew the knife from her side and saw Lexa tense up ready to respond to the threat but was glad to see her quickly relax when it was obvious she meant no harm.

Lexa reached for the knife offered handle first and knew it was hers. Her fingers briefly touched Clarke's during the exchange and she felt a spark sensation go through her but she showed no reaction.

Clarke looked at Lexa hoping that their interaction was helping. She backed away nonetheless in case she was wrong. "She's going to get herself killed," she heard her mother distinctly say. She knew that if she died in that virtual world, she would die in the real world. She was just sorry that her mom would see her death if it came to that.

"Why would she do this?" Abby asked as she checked Clarke's vitals. "Why didn't you stop her?" She looked quite disappointed at Raven. She realized what had happened when she saw a second view of the virtual world and Raven arrive at the computer room.

"Clarke would've done it on her own," Kane pointed out trying to lessen the blame on Raven. He knew she helped but wanted to make Abby see the brighter side of her participation. "And Lexa really needs Clarke right now."

"She's going to get herself killed," Abby worried. "If she dies in there, she'll be brain dead here."

"I'm sure Lexa won't let that happen," he assured her watching the screen closely. "They'll protect each other."

.

Lexa looked intently at the knife in her hand and knew she was ready for what's to come. She saw Becca approach them poised to taking out Clarke. She reacted quickly and swept Becca off her feet with a swing of her leg before pulling Clarke behind her as she ran towards the gates.

"Wait," Clarke said when she saw Lexa prepare to break the lock with the hilt of her weapon. She drew her gun and shot it open.

Lexa knocked the lock off and pushed the gates open. She led the way as they tried to put as much distance between them and A.L.I.E.

"Lexa!" a voice called out to her.

Lexa stopped and turned abruptly that made Clarke slam into her. She looked with disbelief at the person standing by the gates.

Clarke turned to look at who it was and didn't recognize her. "Who is she?"

Lexa whispered something in response but Clarke didn't hear her so she had to repeat herself. "Costia."

Clarke wondered how that happened but was alarmed when she noticed Lexa heading back. "No! It's not Costia; it's A.L.I.E. luring you back to her." She tried her best to block Lexa's path.

"Save me," the voice called out to Lexa. "She's going to kill me."

Lexa side-stepped and quickened her pace back wanting to rescue her.

Clarke spun Lexa around by her arms that surprised them both. "It's not her! You said so yourself that Costia is dead and gone." She realized that A.L.I.E. couldn't leave the confines of the walls so she wanted to get Lexa as far as way as possible. She pulled Lexa as she led the way away.

Lexa turned her head to look back as they got further and Costia faded away from view. She regained her composure after that and pulled her hand away from Clarke. "I can walk on my own now, Clarke."

Clarke could tell that she was since she didn't drag as much as before. She let go of Lexa's hand and walked beside her in silence. She wondered what was going on in her mind but dared not to ask yet.

Lexa found a spot that was suitable and safe for them to rest. She quickly started a fire and leaned against a boulder to rest.

Clarke walked up to her and tried to think of an opener that would draw Lexa out of her reticence. "Are you alright?" She saw Lexa nod to confirm but didn't say anything else so she just leaned next to her and waited for her to make the next move.

"It's not safe for you here," Lexa finally said.

"I'm not sorry I came," Clarke declared without regret.

Lexa finally smiled and looked at Clarke. "Me, too."

.

Clarke was glad to see Lexa smile again. She was worried that Lexa's encounter with A.L.I.E. as Becca and then as Costia had affected her adversely. She definitely didn't want Lexa to put up her walls again.

"How did you get here?" Lexa asked somehow knowing but wanted to confirm.

"I took the spare Becca brought with her and one of the chips Raven had," Clarke confirmed. "I didn't know how else to reach you and tell you that she was A.L.I.E."

"I knew," Lexa revealed. She saw Clarke visibly surprised by that. "A.L.I.E. was right in that I know Pramheda since my ascension and miscalculated that I would not notice the difference. Did you also think that I wouldn't?"

Clarke was glad to hear that she did. She was also slightly ashamed that she didn't have more faith in Lexa to see what she saw. "All I could think of was that I had to get you away from her."

"Were you worried I'd fall for her?" Lexa asked leaning closer to her.

Clarke saw the teasing look in Lexa's eyes and wanted to kiss her badly until she remembered who could be watching. She quickly pulled away and got up. "I'm hungry; I'll go hunt for our food." She wandered around for a bit without finding anything then returned to find Lexa tending the fire.

"Didn't catch anything?" Lexa noted when she saw her empty-handed.

Clarke sat next to her in a huff. "I want to kiss you; really I do."

"Then what's stopping you?" Lexa asked concerned that her reaction to Costia was to blame.

"It's just that I don't know who could be watching us," Clarke said obviously upset by it.

"Like A.L.I.E. is doing by watching our people," Lexa noted quickly piecing things together.

Clarke turned to look at her prompting her to reveal what she knew about where they were at. She listened to what Lexa experienced while they were trying to get her to the mansion and why the ambassadors were being targeted by Jaha. In turn, she explained what she and her friends have discovered like their immunity to A.L.I.E. and what they are doing to help get them out of there.

"So the only way out is to destroy her?" Lexa asked. "I think I may know of a way we can do that. You're sure she can't get beyond that building right?"

"I think it's the only place she can exist and influence," Clarke guessed seeing that A.L.I.E. hadn't come after them.

"Good, then we will use a missile to blow up that place," Lexa said definitively.

"What do you mean?" Clarke asked quite alarmed by the drastic measure.

"I think I've found what she was trying to reach to get to the missiles," Lexa explained.

"But if we launch anything it will kill our people," Clarke argued thinking of the consequences of what they did in the virtual world to the real one.

"Not if we dissociate the two," Lexa said.

Clarke was intrigued by how Lexa was thinking. "Do you know how?"

"Not yet," Lexa admitted. "But we need to reach the missile silo before she finds a way to it." She drew on the ground where it was located from memory.

.

Clarke studied the drawing Lexa had made on the ground. She agreed that they had to get there first and hoped that by then her friends can help them. She mentioned the kill switch to Lexa and wondered how they could use that to accomplish their plan.

"First let's get there," Lexa said before getting up to look for food. "We'll figure it out eventually. You usually come up with bright ideas after you've eaten and rested." She gave her a quick smile and went to hunt.

Clarke wondered if Lexa would be more successful than she was. It didn't take long before Lexa returned with a catch. She remembered what Monty said about A.L.I.E. 2.0 chip being able to create things.

"What's the matter?" Lexa asked seeing her reaction.

"Monty said you can create things and he's right," Clarke pointed out. She saw Lexa looked skeptical until she encourage her to try and create something. Sure enough a feast appeared before them.

"How is that possible?" Lexa asked marveling at her ability.

"You've always had it in this reality," Clarke explained. She just wished that it was the same in the real world.

After they had their fill, Lexa suggested that she take first watch while Clarke take a nap. Although they both agreed that it was safe she didn't want to take any chances.

"She's pretty," Clarke noted laying on her back and looking at Lexa's back as she sat to keep watch.

"She was," Lexa corrected and turned to look at Clarke.

Clarke sat back up and gave Lexa a hug. She knew how difficult it must've been for her to have A.L.I.E. use someone so dear to her like that.

"Thank you for reminding me that she's gone," Lexa said quietly. She thought that she had buried her memory of Costia but it had resurfaced because of her fight with Ontari. She realized that she was trying hard to keep Clarke secret from A.L.I.E. that she left that part vulnerable to be used against her.

"Close your eyes," Clarke whispered into her ear. "And don't open them until I tell you that you can."

Lexa wondered but did as she was told. She felt Clarke move and claim her mouth for a kiss. She pulled slightly away but kept her eyes closed. "I thought you said they are watching us."

"They can't watch if our eyes are closed," Clarke said reclaiming her lips. She felt her pulse quickened as Lexa left a trail of kisses down her neck.

"Clarke, wouldn't your mother be watching our vital signs?" Lexa asked noting her own racing pulse.

Clarke sighed and buried her face in Lexa's neck. "You're right, she would be." She was disappointed but glad Lexa had the sense to stop them before they went too far.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Lexa asked pulling away slightly. She felt Clarke give her one more kiss before letting her do so.

.

Clarke woke up refreshed and found Lexa breaking camp and was ready to go. "I didn't mean to fall asleep again."

"It's alright," Lexa said having found her dozing off during her watch.

Clarke wiped the sleep out of her eyes and then saw a glint nearby. She got up and approached to investigate and found a knife.

"What is it?" Lexa asked following her to it.

Clarke revealed what it was and offered it to Lexa.

"Keep it," Lexa said wanting her to be able to defend herself if necessary. "We should get going."

After they've been walking for a while, Lexa noted that they were being followed. She tried to determine by who without alarming Clarke.

"What's the matter?" Clarke asked noticing anyway.

Lexa turned and saw a group appear from behind the trees and approach them.

"Who are they?" Clarke asked wanting to know if they were friend or foe.

"The commanders before me," Lexa replied watching them intently. She became concerned as she read the signals they were exchanging. "Clarke, run!"

Clarke did as she was told but after only a few steps away she noticed that Lexa was staying behind. "Lexa! I'm not leaving without you," she said heading back to stand beside Lexa.

Lexa flashed her an angry look but knew there was no convincing her to leave. She pulled Clarke out of the way as the nearest one poised to strike her down. She used her sword to shield them both from him but he quickly overpowered her by brute force.

Clarke shot him with her gun that seemed to only bounce off of him. She and Lexa exchanged surprised looks but the latter took his distraction to her advantage and knocked him out.

"Go now, I'll be right behind you," Lexa ordered.


	25. Chapter 25

Lexa stayed very still as she watched their pursuers pass beneath her perch. She calculated that she and Clarke couldn't outrun them so she decided to mislead them. She and Clarke intentionally left tracks that led into a stream nearby and hoped that it was enough. She saw them deliberate before breaking into two teams to search up and down the stream. She had hoped for that and was glad she was right. She waited a little longer to be sure they were gone before climbing down to return to the spot where she left Clarke. She softly called out to Clarke and saw her emerge from the darkness of the hollow tree she was hiding in.

"How long do we have before they realize they're on a goose chase?" Clarke asked as she acclimatized to the brightness. She saw Lexa's confused look and explained what she meant.

"Not long so we should put as much distance between us and them," Lexa said starting to head the opposite direction.

Clarke checked her gun and confirmed it was loaded. She didn't understand why it didn't work earlier.

"What's wrong with it?" Lexa asked remembering how it failed to protect her earlier.

"I don't know," Clarke admitted. "Maybe it just doesn't work here."

"Use your knife then," Lexa suggested not liking her solitary weapon against their pursuers. She tried to conjure a sword for her but she realized her power didn't allow for her to do so. She wondered why it didn't work but couldn't dwell too long on it when she heard a twig snap. She quickly reacted and threw down their unwanted company. "Why are you pursuing us?" She used her sword to compel him to speak.

"We're not after you," he said clearly displeased he was discovered. "We are after her." He nodded towards Clarke to make it clear.

"Why?" Lexa asked harshly steadily getting angry with him.

"Pramheda said she's here to destroy us," he revealed. "We have to eliminate her to free Pramheda from her confinement behind the gates."

"That wasn't …" Clarke began to say but stopped when she saw Lexa raise a hand to silence her.

"What did she say?" Lexa inquired interested in her adversary's new move.

"She is a threat to the plan," he continued vaguely knowing that Lexa knew what he meant. "We need to protect you from her influence."

Lexa noticed him look behind her and realized he wasn't alone. She turned ready to draw her sword to defend Clarke but found his arm locked around her. She struggled to break free but could only watch as his companion approach in a full run. "Run Clarke!"

.

Clarke hesitated not wanting to leave Lexa behind but seeing the man who overpowered Lexa earlier come charging after her, she took off to evade him. She drew her gun and shot at him hoping to slow him down to no avail. She knew her only choice was to outrun him if she could. Although she was nimble, her disadvantage was that she wasn't familiar with the woods. She didn't see him coming from her blind side and ended up trapped in his choke hold. She tried unsuccessfully to free herself by beating his muscular arm.

"Let her go," Lexa commanded as she ran towards them with sword drawn ready to cut him down.

"You would dare to strike me?" he said quite disappointed in her.

Clarke managed to reach for her knife and stabbed him on his forearm that made him cry out in pain.

Lexa quickly stepped in between the two to protect Clarke from him. She watched with confusion as his forearm shimmered and start to fade.

"What have you done?" he shouted at Clarke.

Clarke looked down at the knife she held and realized what it was. "You have to stop it from progressing further," she implored Lexa knowing what would happen if it kept going.

Lexa gripped her sword firmly and chopped off his forearm to stop his upper arm from disappearing as well. She saw him look fearfully at them before taking off to find his companions.

"Are you alright?" Clarke asked scanning Lexa for any injuries.

"I'm fine," Lexa said putting away her sword. "Explain what just happened." She looked at the knife in Clarke's hand warily.

"This must be the poison pill they were talking about that could destroy A.L.I.E.," Clarke said. She turned the knife handle towards Lexa before offering it to her.

"No, you hang on to it," Lexa said refusing it and showing how much she trusted Clarke.

"But you will need it when A.L.I.E. comes after you," Clarke reasoned wanting her to have an advantage over their enemy.

"We should go before the rest of them catch up," Lexa said leading them away.

Clarke knew she was right and followed quickly but wondered why she refused the weapon. She decided to give Lexa some space before bringing the subject up. It didn't take long when they both found themselves surrounded by their pursuers.

Lexa drew her sword and tried to determine who to strike first since there was no obvious path for escape.

"Command them to stop," Clarke suggested standing close to her. "They will listen to you because you are the commander."

Lexa looked doubtful but tried it. "I order you to stand down!" She saw some of them exchanged looks but continue to approach.

Clarke looked around and worried they were getting too close for comfort.

Lexa sensed Clarke's fear and closed her eyes to draw from her inner strength before raising her hand. When she opened her eyes, she found all of the commanders before her kneeling in deference to her.

.

Lexa was relieved that she was able to subdue the commanders before her including the two they've already encountered just as Clarke said she could. She could tell from their faces that they wanted to know why she was defending Clarke. "She is not the enemy."

"She has a weapon that could destroy us," the maimed commander accused Clarke getting up on his feet.

"She was defending herself just as you think you are by attacking her," Lexa reasoned.

"Are you saying Pramheda is wrong?" one asked.

"She isn't who she claims to be," Lexa claimed. "You must have noticed the difference. Wanheda is here to help me defeat her."

The commanders exchanged looks and conferred in the process. They expressed doubt in her objectivity.

"Wanheda is the reason you were shot," one reminded her.

"And she's the reason I'm still alive," Lexa shot back. She saw some of them agree with her while others still wavered in trusting Clarke.

Clarke watched as the group seemed to be divided and made an attempt to win them over. She drew the knife and watched as all eyes turned to her including Lexa. She knew one wrong move and they would charge at her no matter what Lexa did to stop them so she made a deliberate show that she meant no harm to any of them. She held the knife gently with two fingers and offered it to Lexa again.

Lexa hesitated but then understood the gesture and accepted it. "Doesn't this prove that Wanheda is not here to harm us?" She turned and addressed the others then saw them all won over by the act.

"What should we do now?" the commander who restrained Lexa asked.

"Make sure that A.L.I.E. stays within the walls of her compound," Lexa ordered. "She will use your weaknesses against you," she warned as well.

"It might help if they go in pairs," Clarke suggested remembering how she was able to snap Lexa out of A.L.I.E.'s hold on her.

Lexa nodded her approval of that plan and watched them head off in pairs. She then turned to Clarke and gave her a quick smile before they headed off to their destination.

.

Lexa led in contemplative silence. She was running possible scenarios in her head to be prepared this time should she encounter A.L.I.E. again. She knew it wouldn't be long before A.L.I.E. figured a way to break free of her confines. Her hope was that the commanders before her would at least buy them some time to reach the mountain top unobstructed and figure a way to render the nuclear missiles inoperable.

"Clarke to Lexa," Clarke called out to her after they've gone on like that for a while.

Lexa turned to look back at Clarke with a questioning look.

"You've been awfully quiet," Clarke pointed out wishing she would start talking again. "Don't you have any lessons for me today?"

Lexa wondered if Clarke was ready to hear what they would be facing knowing that each of her plans led to unacceptable outcomes.

Clarke looked at Lexa intently willing her to share her thoughts. She knew there was more to what Lexa had already revealed to her about A.L.I.E.'s plan but gave her time to think about it.

"Let's set up camp," Lexa said instead. She wasn't ready and would prefer to redirect Clarke's attention. She quickly gathered kindling for a fire.

Clarke could tell that Lexa needed more space so she decided to give her just that. "Will you let me hunt now?"

Lexa looked up curiously at her. "What do you mean?"

"I think you didn't want me to get hurt hunting so I didn't find anything yesterday," Clarke pointed out knowing for certain that she had the ability to conjure things in their current reality.

Lexa smiled realizing she was right about that. Her concern for Clarke's safety had put constraints that otherwise wouldn't have been there. She nodded as she relaxed the rules in her mind. She still didn't understand enough about it like why it allowed the previous commanders to attack or why guns obviously were ineffective but enough to give Clarke her wish to hunt.

Clarke smiled and walked towards Lexa to claim a knife. "Since my gun is useless here, I need to borrow this." She left without another word.

Lexa was glad for the time alone. She hoped to find alternatives that would at least give her an acceptable solution. She started a fire and stared into it deeply. "You're not alone," she heard a familiar reassuring voice.

.

Clarke waited quietly for any sign of a prey and didn't have to wait long before she spotted a rabbit hopping along. She stayed still so as not to scare it away before making her move.

"We have to get her out of there," a voice interrupted her concentration. "She's in danger and could die in whatever that is at any moment."

"She has Lexa to protect her," another deeper voice said. "Together they can survive this."

Clarke tried to refocus as the voices subsided and saw that her prey had eluded her. She tried to find it again using its tracks and was so intent she hadn't noticed the uneven terrain that she slipped and slid down a small ravine. She felt foolish until she realized that the rabbit had done the same misstep and was right there in front of her. She wasn't going to let it get away again.

Abby paced back and forth further away from Clarke's slumbering form as she wondered what she could say to convince Kane to get Raven and Monty to find a way to free her from the chip. "Lexa has trained for this all her life; Clarke wasn't even aware of it until now. You saw how those people tried to attack her."

"And we just saw Lexa stop them from harming Clarke," Kane reminded her choosing to see the bright side of the encounter they just witnessed. He had followed Abby when she left the computer room to check on Clarke out of obvious concern.

"Lexa can't always be there for her," she continued. She was comforted when she saw that the knife Raven sent protected her but was aghast when she saw her hand it over to Lexa.

"Clarke is quite capable of taking care of herself and she has proven that many times," he reminded her. "I have faith in them; you should, too." He moved to give her a reassuring hug.

.

Lexa tended the fire but looked up when Clarke returned and noted her disheveled look. "What happened?"

"The rabbit and I slipped and slid down a small ravine," Clarke explained.

Lexa stood up and walked over to check for herself that Clarke was alright. She was beginning to regret letting her go off hunting alone.

"I'm alright," Clarke reassured her. "The rabbit, not so much." She handed her kill to Lexa and watched her prepare it quickly. "You make it look so easy."

Lexa smiled and placed the rabbit on a spit over the fire to roast before sitting next to Clarke. "Would you rather I create a meal quicker?"

"No, this is fine," Clarke said resting her head on Lexa's shoulder and reaching for her hand. "When will you tell me what's bothering you?" She had decided enough time had passed and it was time to pry into her private thoughts.

Lexa loved how perceptive Clarke was and already knew she had to tell her something. "Do you think your friends will find a way to change the missile codes in time?"

"I hope so," Clarke said hopefully. "They delivered on the poison pill haven't they?" She thought back to how they had drawn on the ground to send a message to them hoping that they would understand what they were planning to do. She took the knife as a sign that her friends understood what they needed.

Lexa agreed that they must've gotten the point of their drawing and communicating back through the sudden appearance of the weapon. She pulled it out of its holder and offered it back to Clarke.

Clarke lifted her head to look questioningly at Lexa. She didn't understand why Lexa hadn't wanted it even after seeing its power.

"She knows my weakness and I'm afraid I may not be able to protect you from her," Lexa confessed. "I want you to have this to protect yourself."

"What about you?" Clarke asked knowing that she was the real target. "How are you going to defend yourself from her?"

"That's why I have you," Lexa gently teased with a smile to lighten the mood.

Clarke nodded in return and accepted the knife from her. "How long do you think we have before she comes after us?"

"She's already gathering her forces," Lexa guessed correctly. "She is determined to launch those missiles to start her new world."

"Well, we're just as determined to stop her," Clarke declared confidently. She saw Lexa nod in agreement.

.

Clarke stared at the knife in her hand and wondered how such an ordinary weapon could be so powerful. She felt the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders but quickly chided herself for feeling so burdened when Lexa was probably more so. She looked at her sleeping form not too far away and marveled at her calm under pressure. Even with the impending doom, Lexa stayed focus on trying to save their people.

"She wants to rebuild the world by destroying it first," Lexa had said when she revealed what A.L.I.E. was planning to do with the missiles. "She will send the people under her control to bunkers while leaving the rest of our people out in the open to die from the nuclear blast and fallout."

Clarke knew from Lexa's tone that this time there won't be any survivors like there were before. A.L.I.E. clearly learned from her first attempt that she still needed people to not be isolated and obviously didn't want to go dormant again.

"Why doesn't she just use the knife on A.L.I.E.?" a voice asked what she was thinking. Clarke closed her eyes hoping to concentrate and hear the response.

"It's not that simple," Raven replied. "We need access to all of A.L.I.E. to effectively destroy her." She could tell her audience was baffled given the looks on their faces. "Monty and I discovered that she can be in multiple places because she replicates pieces of herself in the chips. She regularly updates them to keep control and if we infect her before that, a piece of her could escape and regenerate somewhere else."

"That must have been how she escaped destruction before," Monty supposed.

"So what's the plan?" Abby asked showing a little frustration that they couldn't just end it then so Clarke would be released and safe back with them.

"We're following Clarke and Lexa's plan," Raven revealed. She hoped that they understood the drawing correctly but seeing how precise it was, she was quite certain they were on the right path.

"Which is?" Abby prompted when Raven was sparse on the details.

"To find the codes for the nuclear missiles, change it but make it look like they haven't been tampered with so A.L.I.E. won't suspect a thing, let her think she's launching them, have her update her remote copies then hit her with the virus," Monty jumped in and started rattling out the things they were going to do.

"How long before you are finished?" Abby asked coming across as impatient.

"We've been working day and night," Raven defended themselves.

"We know you have," Kane assured her giving Abby a quick look to remind her they were all doing their best.

"Of course you are doing the best you can," Abby said in lieu of an apology. "Why don't you two get some rest and start fresh in the morning?" She saw Monty jump at the chance for sleep but Raven was less enthusiastic. "I'm glad Clarke has you helping her." She saw Raven smile weakly to acknowledge she understood that was meant for her.

Clarke opened her eyes feeling more confident and ready to face what lies ahead.


	26. Chapter 26

Lexa listened as Clarke related what she had somehow overheard. She was glad that they had succeeded in conveying their plan because they sure could use all the help they can get. "We should get going."

"We'll probably get there quicker if we," Clarke began to say before she heard the neighing sound of horses nearby. She turned and saw two waiting to take them where they needed to go. "Did you read my mind?"

"I can't read your mind Clarke," Lexa stated with amusement. "But I can anticipate your needs."

"What I want is to save our people and get out of here alive," Clarke said taking that opportunity to let Lexa know what she really wanted.

"I know; it's what I want, too," Lexa confirmed. She was rewarded with a hug by Clarke.

"Kiss me," Clarke whispered in her ear. She felt Lexa move to indulge her wish for a moment.

"We should go," Lexa said finally pulling away and turning to mount her horse. She would've wished for the kiss to go on longer but knew time was running out. She had to stay focused if they were going to stand a chance.

Clarke followed her lead and got on her horse confident that they would succeed and beat A.L.I.E. in the end.

"Think you can keep up?" Lexa teased trying to gauge how fast to go.

"The sooner we get there and finish the mission, the sooner we can get out of this place," Clarke replied with a smile accepting the implicit challenge and made her horse start with a gallop.

Lexa gave her horse a quick kick and off she went right behind Clarke.

.

Lexa and Clarke rode almost non-stop until they arrived at what seemed to be the end of the road. Lexa dismounted and peered over the edge of the cliff into the darkness below. She kicked in a rock to test how deep it was but after hearing nothing back for a while, she was quite disappointed that an abyss stood between them and their destination.

"There has to be a way across," Clarke said looking both ways for any signs of a path.

Lexa closed her eyes to try to build a bridge for them to cross over in her mind. It started to materialize in front of her and replicated over the chasm for quite a ways until she felt the strain of the effort give her an excruciating headache. She fell to her knees quite drained and in pain.

Clarke dropped down next to her to help ease her discomfort. She saw Lexa's nose was bleeding and quickly pinched it to stop the flow.

They both watched in silence as the bridge half-formed fell back into the dark pit. It was obvious to them that the gap was too wide for Lexa to finish the task.

"I have to try," Lexa said wanting to give it another shot when she had slightly recovered.

"No! There has to be another way," Clarke said not wanting her to suffer the ordeal again.

Lexa had to admit that she was in no shape to attempt it again.

Clarke could clearly see that Lexa was saddened by her inability to get them closer to the mountain that loomed in the distance. "Why don't we rest here for a while? Something might present itself if we wait."

Lexa was glad Clarke was there to keep her spirits up. It was rare that she got frustrated but right then, she was close to second-guessing herself. She decided it was time to calm herself through meditation. She saw Clarke gave her a nod figuring quickly what she was about to do.

.

Clarke fell asleep as she waited for Lexa to finish meditating. She drifted into a dream that seemed very real. She was with Lexa but then the ground under them rumbled and a rift appeared between them. It grew quickly separating them from each other. "Lexa!"

"She left us," Bellamy had reminded her the night they became the thirteenth clan.

Clarke watched as Lexa turned away from her. "No! Lexa!"

"Clarke!" Lexa called to her and shook her from her sleep. "Clarke, wake up."

Clarke opened her eyes and found a very concerned Lexa hovering over her. She didn't know how she ended up having such a nightmare.

"Are you alright?" Lexa asked moving to cradle Clarke in her arms. "It was just a bad dream." She planted a quick kiss on her temple to calm her down.

"It felt so real," Clarke said vividly remembering what she just dreamt. "You were leaving me again." She revealed sadly.

Lexa realized that A.L.I.E. was probably trying to make Clarke doubt her. "I will always be with you." She took Clarke's hands in hers and studied her face to see if she believed her.

Clarke looked deeply into Lexa's eyes and saw the truth in them. She felt bad for showing even a little doubt in her. "I'm sorry."

Lexa appreciated the apology but had to get them back on track. "I think I may have found a way to get us across but you might not like it."

Clarke followed Lexa and they rode on for a little while before arriving at a precariously hanging rope bridge. "You've got to be kidding." She walked over to test the stability of it and was concerned. "How did you even know this was here?"

"I remembered seeing it on one of the monitors," Lexa explained. "I didn't know the significance before until now."

"So she knows we're here then?" Clarke said worriedly looking around.

"It's possible," Lexa guessed. "But we got here before she could so we have an advantage."

Clarke agreed and looked at the rickety path. "Should we go then?"

Lexa set their horses free before cutting off some excess piece of rope from the bridge. She tied one end around her waist before walking over to Clarke and tying the other end to hers.

"What is this for?" Clarke asked curiously.

"It's so one of us can prevent the other from falling," Lexa said matter-of-factly. She turned to start leading the way across.

"What if we can't stop her?" Clarke asked letting her self-doubt emerge momentarily.

Lexa turned back to give her a quick pep talk. "I've seen what she intends to do; she will turn Polis into dust and kill all of our people. We can't let that happen. We have to try and stop her so our people will stand a chance."

Clarke drew courage and strength from Lexa's words and prepared herself for what awaited them on the other side of the bridge. She stood a little taller and got ready to cross the chasm with Lexa.

"Step where I step," Lexa instructed as she began to take her first step. She tested if the board would carry her weight tentatively before committing to it and taking the next.

.

Clarke carefully watched where Lexa stepped before taking her own. She heard a few boards creak as they went over them but so far they were making good progress across.

"We have a problem," a voice warned suddenly. "Jaha is coming."

Clarke reacted to the warning by looking behind her causing her to lose her footing and slipped. She went down hard and the sudden impact made surrounding planks break sending her through.

Lexa heard the commotion behind her and quickly positioned herself to prevent Clarke from falling further out of reach. "Clarke, are you alright?" She could tell from the tension on the rope that Clarke was dangling below.

Clarke hung on to the rope and felt foolish for causing such a predicament not only for herself but for Lexa.

"Clarke!" Lexa yelled louder unable to see what was going on with her.

"I'm ok," Clarke shouted back trying to steady herself knowing that the swinging could worsen her situation.

"Can you climb up?" Lexa asked trying unsuccessfully to pull her back up on the bridge using the rope tying them together.

Clarke tried to reach for edge of the intact plank to pull herself up but couldn't grab a hold of it. She heard ominous creaking above and worried that more of the planks would give way sending her further away from it.

"Grab my hand," Lexa ordered as her head appeared over the edge. She stretched as far as she could to help Clarke.

Clarke reached up to grab her hand and after a few tries manage to catch it. She managed to get a hold of the plank with Lexa's help and used it to pull herself up. She immediately hugged Lexa once she was safely on the bridge again.

"What happened?" Lexa asked trying to determine where she miscalculated her step.

"Didn't you hear the warning?" Clarke asked. "Jaha is on his way." She wondered if only she heard it.

Lexa looked off to the distance and saw smoke billowing up from where A.L.I.E.'s compound was. "She is trying to come through." She knew it wouldn't be long before A.L.I.E. made her move after seeing them cross the bridge but she had faith that the commanders before her would slow her down.

"What do we do now?" Clarke asked.

"I need you to focus on the steps I take," Lexa instructed her. "Tune out the voices for now until we get to the other side."

"Don't you hear the voices?" Clarke asked worrying that she was being influenced by A.L.I.E. to slow them down.

"You can hear the voices of your friends and mother because they are familiar to you," Lexa explained. "Don't let them distract you."

Clarke nodded in agreement and got on her feet with Lexa's help. She followed in each footstep and before long they were on the other side. She was glad to be on land again even if it was just in the virtual world. She watched as Lexa quickly drew out her sword and cut the ropes of the bridge to prevent anyone else from crossing over.

"There's no going back now," Lexa declared. "Do you still hear the voices?"

Clarke tried to listen for them but only heard silence. She shook her head sadly wondering if that was the last she would hear from the real world.

"You will soon be reunited with them," Lexa assured her seeing her disappointment.

"Does this mean we're on our own now?" Clarke asked.

"I'm sure your friends will find a way to reconnect with us," Lexa said. "Right now we have to stay ahead of A.L.I.E. and whoever she brings along with her."

Clarke was glad for the immediate task they needed to do to keep her mind off of the possibility of losing her connection to the real world.

"What do we do now?" Abby asked guessing that Jaha's intention was to either capture them all or retrieve Lexa and Clarke for A.L.I.E. before the missiles are launched.

"We'll try to slow them down," Octavia said knowing that Lincoln and Quark were already doing just that. She turned to Harper and silently asked her to join them.

"Where are we with the missile codes?" Kane asked Raven and Monty.

"We're close but we need a little more time," Monty said.

"We don't have much time if Jaha is already on his way here," John pointed out. "He won't stop unless we kill him."

Everyone turned towards him quite shocked by the extreme measure he was suggesting.

"You know I'm right," he defended himself. "Even if we stop him, A.L.I.E. will just send others."

"Do what you can to keep him away without killing him," Kane told Octavia. He still felt that they could somehow save him.

.

Lexa was quite pleased with their progress and watched as Clarke slept out of sheer exhaustion. She wished she could summon horses like she did before but even after trying over and over again while they walked, she had to concede that she no longer had that ability.

Clarke stirred in her sleep obviously having a fitful rest. She was obviously unsettled by the day's events.

Lexa watched and tried to calm her with a touch on her shoulder. She was glad when she successfully did before checking the rope she carried. She knew they would need it again when they climbed the mountain and wanted to be sure it would be reliable.

"Thank you," Clarke said startling Lexa slightly.

"For what?" Lexa asked setting the rope aside.

"For being my strength," Clarke said sitting up next to her.

"You are stronger than you think," Lexa reminded her. "I've seen it especially when your people …"

"Our people," Clarke cut her off quickly. "Our people needs me to be strong just like you."

Lexa was glad to hear that from her and know that they were in agreement about their commitment to their people. "We have a long journey tomorrow; get as much rest as you can now."

"You need to do the same," Clarke said. "If the commanders before you are half as good as you, they should be able to keep A.L.I.E. busy for at least a good night's sleep."

Lexa couldn't argue that so she lay down next to Clarke. She pulled away slightly when Clarke turned to give her a kiss. "I thought you didn't want your friends to know about us."

"Maybe it's time they knew if they didn't already," Clarke said claiming her lips for a quick kiss before snuggling next to her to go back to sleep.

Lexa watched Clarke sleep for a bit before drifting off to sleep herself.

.

Clarke woke up with a start and stared directly at a horse's face inches from her own. She moved up and away from it before looking around for Lexa.

"You're awake," Lexa said leading another horse towards her.

"Where did they come from?" Clarke asked standing up and giving the horse near her a quick head rub.

"I don't know," Lexa admitted. "I'm not sure if I or your friends made them come to us."

Clarke knew that she had been trying all the time they were walking and loved her for it. "Maybe both." She didn't know for sure but was glad they now had them to make the travel up the mountain faster.

"We should go," Lexa said getting up on her horse. "Clarke, did you hear me?"

Clarke was slightly distracted because she thought she heard someone else speak. She tried to listen closely but then decided she must have been mistaken. She quickly got on her horse and followed Lexa.

"What do you mean we should go?" Abby asked startled by Bellamy's sudden appearance.

"Jaha is close and we need to get to safety," Bellamy said having broken ranks while his sister and her team kept Jaha engaged in a battle not far away. He wasn't expecting Clarke to also be unconscious when he got to the mansion. He quickly figured out why.

"Where will we go?" Kane asked not sure where it would be safe knowing Jaha was intent on capturing Lexa.

"We could go to the lighthouse," John suggested. "It will also be safe if they don't succeed in stopping A.L.I.E. from launching the missiles."

Abby was surprised he hadn't revealed that sooner. "When were you planning to tell us about this?"

"It's not big enough for all of us," John said unrepentantly. "Besides, I'm not absolutely sure it's safe either because A.L.I.E. controls it."

"I'm sure Raven and Monty can override her," Kane said willing to move to a safer location.

Bellamy picked up Clarke from the bed and started to take her where Murphy led them.

.

Lexa and Clarke raced up the mountain as fast as their horses could take them until they felt the ground shake. Lexa was ahead of Clarke and turned to check on her only to find a rock slide quickly separate the two of them. "Clarke!" She shouted as she steered her horse towards the rubble.

Clarke was thrown off her horse as the rocks came down blocking her path. She could only watch as her horse ran off to safety. Surprisingly she was clear of the debris and was able to get back on her feet. She heard Lexa yell out her name and replied. "I'm alright! Just a little bruised."

Lexa was glad to hear her voice and tried to find a route for her to cross.

"I can climb over," Clarke shouted from her side until she heard someone yell stop.

"Stop!" Raven yelled as she found Bellamy carrying Clarke off. "You have to stop or she will fall and die."

Bellamy turned quite confused but alarmed. "What do you mean?"

Raven quickly showed him the live feed on the tablet Monty had rigged to make the video they were watching portable.

Abby came up behind them and watched Clarke trying to climb over a pile of rocks. "What is she doing?"

"I think she's trying to get to Lexa," Raven said showing the other view.

Bellamy looked skeptical and didn't believe his action could cause that much danger to Clarke.

"Go ahead, move her," Raven challenged him knowing he needed proof. She saw more rocks fall as Bellamy took a few more steps.

"Stop!" Abby ordered restraining him by his shoulder. "She will get buried under those rocks."

Bellamy realized he was wrong and agreed to gently take her back.

"Why don't we take her to the computer room?" Kane suggested. "At least we can fortify that one room instead of the whole mansion from Jaha's attack if he breaks through."

Bellamy liked that idea and took Clarke there while Kane went to get Lexa.


	27. Chapter 27

Clarke carefully climbed over the rocks to get over to Lexa's side. She heard more rocks coming down from above and instinctively tried to duck from them. She resumed when she felt the ground stop shaking and no more rocks were falling. She hoped that the path would hold until she got through to the other side.

"Clarke, stay where you are," Lexa shouted. "I'll come get you."

"I can make it," Clarke yelled back determined to do so on her own. She, however, misjudged a step and started to slide down. She tried to grab a hold of anything that would stop her descent until out of nowhere Lexa's hand grabbed a hold of hers.

Lexa swung them out of the way of the growing slide and onto solid ground. She was about to admonish her for not listening but didn't when Clarke hugged her tightly in appreciation. "Are you alright?" She ended up wrapping her arms around her to comfort her.

Clarke was obviously shaken but also glad that Lexa was there to rescue her. "I'm fine," she replied pulling herself together. "Let's keep going."

Lexa studied the blonde momentarily and saw her evident resilience. She walked towards her horse and helped Clarke up after her.

.

Lexa got them up the mountain without further incidents. They arrived at a large gate much like the one at Mount Weather. "Any ideas on how to get in?" She looked at it up and down as she dismounted from her horse.

Clarke hoped there was some obvious way to open the gates. She found a handprint sensor behind some outcropping near the gate. She placed her hand hoping it was her friends' way of ensuring it was them who were entering the facility. When nothing happened she was disappointed because she didn't know how to override it. She looked around the device for some way to disengage it until she found a familiar logo. "Lexa, I think this is meant for you to open."

Lexa came to the same conclusion when she saw the symbol. She placed her hand over it and sure enough the gate slowly started to open. "How is it that I'm the one that can open it?" she asked as they waited for the gate to open enough for them to slip in.

"Maybe it was Becca who put it in place to prevent A.L.I.E. from getting into this place," Clarke conjectured seeing the similarity of the biometric method to the box she left the commanders after her. "You are how she planned to keep her in check."

Lexa was glad that she could be helpful to Becca's overall plan even if she wasn't privy to it all. She recalled how she listened to A.L.I.E. try to indoctrinate her towards the latter's beliefs but stayed true to her own ideals that has brought her there. She instinctively held the hilt of her sword when the gates were opened wide enough to look in; she wanted to be ready should there be danger ahead of them.

Clarke noticed Lexa's posture and followed suit. She held on to the knife that seemed to be the only weapon she could rely on.

The pair walked through the hallways unobstructed and arrived at the center that looked operational and waiting for their arrival.

Clarke went over to the console closest to her and wondered what they were supposed to do next. She silently wished for Raven to send her a sign.

"Clarke," Lexa called her attention noticing the countdown timer on the console she was on. She found it interesting because it had an image of a raven.

Clarke walked over trying to determine what they were looking at. It was next to a red button that looked very much like the launch button they've seen before. She tapped her finger next to it trying to decide what to do next.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Lexa asked noting her hesitation.

"My guess is that this is how much time they need to disconnect the launch button from all the missiles," Clarke speculated based on the plan they discussed previously.

Lexa looked around the room and knew they had to fortify it somehow should A.L.I.E. show up unannounced. "I'll barricade the gates," she said moving to do just that.

"Can I help?" Clarke offered wanting to do something than wait.

Lexa knew Clarke didn't like waiting but preferred she stayed there. "You can help by making sure nothing stops that from completing."

Clarke grudgingly agreed to stay behind. She reached for Lexa's arm before she could leave and offered the knife that could protect her from A.L.I.E. should she arrive unexpectedly.

"I can protect myself," Lexa assured her. "I'd feel better if you held on to that." She knew it was the only thing that could possibly protect her if she couldn't make it back quickly. "Don't let anyone in except for me."

.

Lexa secured the gates and familiarized herself with the area. She formed an exit strategy quickly in case they needed it as she went through before turning back to the control room. She was surprised to see that the door was ajar and drew her sword to prepare for any trouble inside. She pushed the door open with the tip of her sword and found Clarke in a precarious situation.

"Thank you for leading us here," A.L.I.E. said standing beside Jaha who had a knife to Clarke's throat.

Lexa recognized it and knew the consequences if it cut Clarke which was why neither of them made any sudden moves that would reveal its power. She released the handle of her sword in the hopes Jaha would relax his grip of Clarke. "How did you get in here?"

A.L.I.E. morphed into a copy of Lexa for a moment and it was clear how she got past the biometric lock or why Clarke let her in. She obviously couldn't keep it for long as she reverted to her original form.

"Join us," Jaha suggested knowing that was what A.L.I.E. wanted from her.

A.L.I.E. stepped closer to Clarke and studied her. "What is it about her that fascinates you?" She was truly curious about why Lexa was holding out for people like Clarke. "She seems so fragile."

Lexa remained silent until she saw Jaha press the knife closer against Clarke's throat prompting her to reply. "She is smart and strong; she has proven herself useful to achieve my goals."

Clarke tried to discern what Lexa was really trying to say so she would be ready to escape Jaha's clutches.

"Do you think she will be useful to our goals?" A.L.I.E. asked quite intrigued by the possibility of gaining one more to their side.

"She cares too much for her friends to ever abandon them for the plan," Jaha noted.

"Is that so?" A.L.I.E. asked turning to Lexa for her opinion. "We are too close to completing what we were created to do Lexa. Will you let your weakness get in the way?"

Lexa recognized the veiled threat that A.L.I.E. had just stated and knew she had to act. She moved closer to her and surprised her with a kiss on her lips.

Clarke watched in shock and felt her heart sink. "Lexa, don't do this." She struggled against Jaha's grip and felt the knife slightly scratch her.

"I've made this decision with my head and not my heart," Lexa explained candidly. She saw from the corner of her eye that A.L.I.E. was quite affected by the kiss and took advantage of it. "It's time for you to prepare our people." She addressed Jaha who seemed reluctant to do her bidding.

A.L.I.E. gave him a nod to proceed as instructed having regained her composure.

"What about her?" Jaha asked worrying that Clarke will try to stop them.

"Leave us," Lexa ordered. She saw Jaha hesitate but with A.L.I.E.'s silent concurrence did as he was told.

Clarke was glad to see Jaha discard her knife on a nearby table. She waited for him to leave before grabbing it and aiming for A.L.I.E. to destroy her. She was surprised when Lexa caught her hand and prevented her from plunging it into A.L.I.E.

Lexa saw the confusion and hurt that Clarke felt that moment. She pulled the knife out of her hand and pushed her back.

"This isn't you," Clarke pleaded hoping to reach Lexa's human side. "Don't let her change who you are."

A.L.I.E. grew tired of Clarke's interference and was about to make her stop when Lexa intervened and took her away.

"Where are you taking me?" Clarke asked trying to find an opportunity to escape.

"Where you belong," Lexa said plainly anticipating her attempt to escape and blocking her. She waved the knife in front of Clarke to nonverbally warn her to not try escaping again.

"Please don't kill our people," Clarke pleaded again still hoping Lexa would change her mind.

"You were right Clarke," Lexa said. "Life is about more than just surviving."

Clarke turned to face Lexa quite hopeful that it meant what she thought it did.

"I will always love you," Lexa declared before kicking Clarke through the door behind her. She quickly closed the door trapping her inside.

"No! Don't do this!" Clarke looked around for another way out when she failed to open the door from her side. She banged on it hard to get Lexa's attention as she watched her walk away through the small window on the door. "Lexa let me out!" She saw A.L.I.E. arrive and speak with Lexa in the hallway.

"You can keep her if you like," A.L.I.E. suggested. "In time she will see that our plan is what this world needs."

Lexa took a quick sideway glance at Clarke before responding. "You are right, I don't need any weakness." She then headed back to the control center without another word.

.

Clarke didn't know what to think of Lexa as she tried to find a way out of the room. On the one hand she felt sad that her recent nightmare had come true but on the other, she hoped that Lexa had a plan in the works.

"Can you get her out of there?" a voice asked urgently.

Clarke looked up at the ceiling and found a camera there. Since she recognized the voice, she hoped they could hear her back. "Help!" She waited for a response and concluded that they couldn't.

"We're trying," Monty replied typing away a program as quickly as he could.

"What about the missiles?" Kane asked worried that A.L.I.E. was about to launch them when they saw her return with Lexa into the room.

Raven knew that until the change was complete, they had no way of stopping her. "We need more time; only half of the missiles have been disengaged from the master switch."

"What if we turn off the power to the base?" Bellamy suggested.

"There's probably backup generators that will kick in," Raven replied. "It won't stop her from launching the remaining missiles." She worried that it would make A.L.I.E. press the button sooner. "Unless we create a delete program and wipe out the whole place." She jumped on it and began working.

"What does that mean?" Abby asked consciously worried about its effect on Clarke.

"It will basically destroy the facility and those inside it," Raven said. "But we'll get Clarke out before that." She knew that was Abby's concern so quickly assured her of Clarke's safety.

.

Lexa glanced quickly at the timer and knew she had to keep A.L.I.E. distracted a little longer. "Are our people ready?" She moved an object to hide the timer from her sight.

"They will be soon," A.L.I.E. replied. "Clarke's friends are putting up too much of a fight for Jaha to retrieve your human body to take to a safe place."

"Perhaps it is time for me to find the next commander," Lexa suggested wanting him to stop attacking them.

"I quite like the current one," A.L.I.E. said showing admiration for her human form. "It would be nice to preserve it if possible."

Lexa didn't think it was necessary but let A.L.I.E. have her way. "What if Jaha isn't able to complete his mission?"

"He knows his place in the new world order is dependent on his success," A.L.I.E. revealed.

Lexa could tell from her tone that failure was not an option. She felt sorry for him even though she felt he deserved what he got. "How long will we wait?" Although she wasn't in a rush, she wanted to figure out what her next move would be.

.

Clarke wished the room had a vent big enough to crawl out of but Lexa had made sure there was none there. She tried to think of why Lexa might have chosen that room still believing that it was part of a plan to save their people.

"How much longer?" Abby asked impatiently as she paced the room.

"That's not helping," Raven said trying not to get distracted.

They all paused when Octavia and her team barged in.

"Jaha has broken past our defenses," Octavia announced. "What do we do now?"

Clarke realized time was running out and felt helpless until she noticed what was odd about the room. It was practically bare except for a large poster board leaning against a wall. She looked at it closer and then saw a familiar symbol. She pulled it away and discovered a hole. She looked down the chute but couldn't see where it led. She took one more look at the commander's symbol on the board and decided to trust Lexa and her plan. She slid down the chute and headed somewhere she hoped would be safe.

.

Lexa smiled subtly when she felt her plan was falling into place. She walked over to check on the timer and got ready to make her move. "When will our people be ready?"

A.L.I.E. was surprised by her impatience. Although she could wait a little longer she did conclude that the probability of Jaha finishing his task was getting slimmer by the minute. "Are you certain you wouldn't want to preserve your human vessel?"

"I can find someone more suitable when we're done," Lexa said indifferently.

.

Clarke didn't know where she was headed or for how long but prepared herself for when she got there. She gasped for air as she came into the light.

"Clarke!" Abby exclaimed when she saw her sit up suddenly. She rushed to her side and tried to help her in any way.

Clarke looked around and slowly realized she was back in the real world.

"Destroy it now," Bellamy ordered Raven to do.

"No!" Clarke shouted. "Don't do that. We have to let Lexa finish and get back to us."

"She and A.L.I.E. are planning to destroy our world," Bellamy reminded her.

"No she's not," Clarke insisted. "She sent me back."

"Monty brought you back," Bellamy said wondering why Clarke refused to believe Lexa had betrayed them again.

"I haven't finished," Monty disclosed.

Clarke saw Bellamy look disappointed by that admission. "She's stalling until the upload is complete."

"We can't risk it," Bellamy insisted giving Raven the signal to proceed.

Clarke drew her gun and aimed it at Raven. "Don't!" She quickly positioned herself between Raven and the keyboard. She saw from her peripheral vision that Bellamy was about to draw his weapon but stopped when he felt the blade Quark levelled near his neck.

The stand-off was interrupted when they heard the commotion outside created by Jaha and his people.

"They're trying to break in," Octavia noted and quickly helped Lincoln create a barricade at the door.

Bellamy and Quark set aside their hostility and went to help.

"I only want Lexa," Jaha shouted through the door. "Give her to me and I will leave you in peace."

.

Lexa waited for A.L.I.E. to order her minions to the shelters. She felt the upload begin through her own extra chip and plunge the knife through A.L.I.E.'s heart.

"What is the meaning of this?" A.L.I.E. asked looking at the knife sticking out of her chest before it was pulled out by Lexa. At first it did nothing but then her upper torso started to shimmer and start to fade. She realized it was a virus that was meant to destroy her and was being transmitted with her upload that she couldn't stop. In anger, she pressed the launch button to no avail. She realized that she had been outwitted by Lexa.

Lexa watched as the shimmer spread and waited for her predecessor to disappear.

"Why would you choose them over us?" A.L.I.E. asked unable to determine the reason. "We are far superior to them."

"We are not," Lexa replied contradicting her. "They've survived the first time you tried to wipe them out; they deserve to live in peace."

"Peace? You've seen how warlike they are fighting all this time," A.L.I.E. reminded her sarcastically.

"Perhaps the next commander will lead them to peace," Lexa said hopefully.

"Neither of us will ever know," A.L.I.E. said locking them in and setting off a destruct mechanism. "Your A.I. chip will be of no use to them now."

Lexa knew that and had planned ahead. She didn't feel A.L.I.E. needed to know and just waited for the end.

.

Clarke watched what transpired between Lexa and A.L.I.E. on the monitor with her mom and friends. She felt justified by Lexa's action and was overtly proud of her. She realized it got very quiet outside and slowly the defenders at the door opened to check.

"She did it," Raven noted as she checked the status of the missiles.

"What is she doing now?" Clarke asked wondering why Lexa hadn't left for the escape chute to return to them.

Raven started to analyze what was going on through code. "She's locked in." She watched as Monty checked from his end.

"What? Can you unlock it?" Clarke asked suddenly concerned for Lexa. She saw her draw another knife and it was the one she gave her. She watched as Lexa gently held it and prayed it wasn't going to end tragically.

"I can't," Raven said and looked to Monty who also shook his head in silent response. "A.L.I.E. not only locked her in, she locked us out."

Clarke wondered what Lexa's plan was to get herself out of there. She didn't have to wait long when the screen turned blank shortly after A.L.I.E. disappeared. "What happened?"

"I think it rebooted," Monty noted as the screen came right back with only a white background signifying a clean slate.

"What does that mean?" Clarke asked not liking what her mind was telling her it did.

"It means she's gone Clarke," Raven said gravely. She felt bad for her friend seeing how much she cared for Lexa.

"No, she's not gone," Clarke insisted. "After all she's done for us, we need to help her. There must be some backup or something we can use to get her back."

"I don't think there is one," Monty said saddened not because of Lexa's dilemma but because he wanted to learn more from Becca's work.

"I have the A.L.I.E. 2.0 code in my chip," Clarke reminded them.

"It won't work, it'll only have your memories at best," Raven pointed out. "She will no longer be Lexa."

"Clarke, she must've known this would be the outcome," Abby noted. "Maybe you should accept that she's gone."

"No mom, I will not accept that," Clarke countered angrily. "I will never give up on her."

"We have to go," Bellamy said concerned that they would be blamed for Lexa's condition if any of the Grounders found them there.

"Our best chance of helping her is here," Clarke argued against leaving.

"We can't stay here," Bellamy warned. "Jaha and his men may have caused the Grounders to be curious about this place. And if they find her like this, we'll be in big trouble."

"Clarke," a weak voice called out to her surprising everyone in the room.


	28. Chapter 28

Lexa groggily opened her eyes but immediately recognized Clarke's voice. She tried to quickly refocus and called out to her. She was quickly rewarded when Clarke's face appeared hovering over her.

"Lexa," Clarke greeted happily helping her sit up. "I thought I lost you." She was so overjoyed that she hugged her tightly and unabashedly in front of everyone in the room.

"How do we know it's really her?" Bellamy challenged. He saw the pair ignore him. "What if she's A.L.I.E. pretending to be Lexa?"

Clarke decided to confirm what she already knew instinctively. "What was the last thing you said to me?" she asked in a whisper.

"I will always love you," Lexa whispered back. She could tell Clarke was satisfied but everyone else still was unsure from the looks on their faces when she looked around the room.

"It is her," Clarke declared confidently pulling slightly away.

"You're not objective," Bellamy accused her. He was about to say something else when Octavia returned with those who went with her to secure Jaha and his men until they could decide what to do next.

"What's going on?" Octavia asked feeling the tense atmosphere immediately.

"Bellamy doesn't believe the Commander is who she says she is," Clarke said.

"So what do we do now?" Octavia asked trying to make a determination by sight.

"What if we scan her chip?" Monty suggested. "I've seen the code and I can isolate it."

"But A.L.I.E. 2.0 is based on A.L.I.E.," Clarke argued against it. She worried it could be used as an excuse to doubt Lexa.

"There is a distinct difference," Raven chimed in. "It's what makes A.L.I.E. 2.0 humane."

Clarke wished that her friends could see Lexa the way she did. "We saw A.L.I.E. disappear."

"We just want to make sure A.L.I.E. is truly gone," Abby tried to explain to Clarke.

"Let's vote on it," Bellamy suggested. "Those in favor of running a test raise your hand." He raised his even before he was finished.

Clarke saw her mom and four of her friends follow suit. She knew she couldn't blame Raven, Monty, John and Harper for how they voted but slightly begrudged her mom. She was just glad that Kane, Octavia, Lincoln and Quark were on her side to make it a tie.

"Majority wins," Bellamy announced the result.

Clarke turned to find Lexa had raised her hand. She heard Lexa say "Let me do this" in her head. She thought she was mistaken because she didn't see Lexa move her lips.

"I want to do this," Lexa continued communicating nonverbally.

"Please give us a minute," Clarke requested and was glad to be given some privacy with Lexa. "You don't have to submit to a test."

"Would you rather have our people keep wondering and question my every decision?" Lexa asked directly.

Clarke considered it and saw she was right. "Alright but tell me this, how did I just hear you in my head?"

"Our spirits can communicate directly with each other," Lexa relayed telepathically and smiled when Clarke's eyes widened in amazement.

"Can you read my mind?" Clarke asked using the same method.

"I still can't read your mind Clarke," Lexa repeated an earlier statement with equal amusement. "But I still can anticipate your needs." She proved it by giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Clarke squeezed back before pulling away noticing Octavia watching them keenly. She was glad others were preoccupied with what Monty and Raven were doing.

.

Clarke paced as Raven explained how they would scan the A.I. chip to ensure that it was not corrupted by A.L.I.E. including a possible fix if it was.

"It's not going to hurt," Raven assured them both as she prepared to begin her work.

"Then let me go first," Clarke said.

"What?" Lexa and Bellamy reacted simultaneously.

"I have a chip and I was exposed to A.L.I.E., too," Clarke reminded everyone. She saw her mom look concerned.

"Are you sure?" Lexa asked silently.

"This way you know what to expect," Clarke replied telepathically enjoying the ability.

Raven carefully proceeded under Lexa's watchful eyes. She didn't want to give her any reason to doubt the system or feel that Clarke was in pain. She finally relaxed when it was over.

"What is the result?" Bellamy asked curiously.

"She's A.L.I.E.-free," Raven declared. She prepared to repeat the process again on Lexa.

"See you in a bit," Clarke said as Lexa submitted to the test. She waited longer than Lexa did because there was more to scan. When it was complete, they also got the all-clear result.

"Do it again," Bellamy recommended.

"Why?" Clarke challenged. "The result is negative."

"We have to make sure," Bellamy said. "There's a lot and it's possible we missed something."

Clarke glared at him but he stood his ground. "Fine, but one more and that's it."

Bellamy knew he would have to accept whatever the outcome was and waited in anticipation that he could be right. He was visibly disappointed when it came out the same.

"Now do you believe me?" Clarke asked. She helped Lexa up and started to lead her out of the room.

"You can't argue with the result," Kane said placing a hand over Bellamy's shoulder. "Let's just be glad they both came out of that safely."

Bellamy nodded grudgingly before walking out.

.

Lexa entered a room that Clarke led her to. She instantly recognized it as Becca's room. She walked over to a framed picture on a small table and picked it up. She was grateful for what Becca had done for her and her people.

"You knew you weren't coming back didn't you?" Clarke asked gravely watching her from behind.

Lexa replaced the frame and turned to Clarke and nodded an affirmation.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Clarke asked visibly hurt by her omission.

"What would you have done if I had?" Lexa asked.

"I wouldn't have left you all alone to fight her," Clarke replied adamantly confirming Lexa's hunch for her.

"Then who would lead our people?" Lexa asked a rhetorical question.

Clarke was taken aback by what Lexa intended. "They won't follow me; I can't be the next commander."

"There was a strong chance that my spirit won't survive," Lexa explained. "There would be no next commander unless you and your spirit assume the role."

"The nightbloods won't accept that; Titus won't allow it," Clarke argued against it.

"They will," Lexa assured her. "Only you can continue my work."

Clarke felt overwhelmed by the responsibility thrust upon her and the prospect of doing it alone. "I can't do it without you."

"You won't be," Lexa said reaching for her hand. "You have your mother, your friends and my people to help you."

Clarke wished it was as easy as she made it sound but knew better. She pulled her hand away and moved to go out to get some air.

Lexa let Clarke leave to sort things out on her own. She realized it was a lot to take in especially without forewarning. She hoped that Clarke would forgive her for her presumption of assuming the role of commander.

"Clarke," Abby called out as she knocked on the door. She was surprised when Lexa opened it instead.

"She's not here," Lexa told her.

"Oh, I just thought I'd bring you two something to eat," Abby explained her visit. "You should eat something but not too much. Your stomach may need to adjust to solid food again."

"Thank you," Lexa accepted gratefully. She noted that Abby lingered and prompted her to speak with a tilt of her head.

"I wanted to thank you for protecting Clarke," Abby said confirming that they had watched their progress in the virtual world. She merely got a nod from Lexa.

.

Clarke sat on a stone bench and tried to imagine a world without Lexa. She just wished Lexa wasn't so ready to die. She noticed Kane was heading her way and decided to wait for him because she could sure use some sage advice.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" Kane asked sitting next to her.

"I needed to clear my head," Clarke replied.

"You have been through a lot the past few days," he agreed. "If you ask me, it was pretty brave of you but you have to agree it was a little reckless. You scared your mom; she thought she was about to lose you."

Clarke could relate having thought the same about Lexa. "How mad is she with me?"

"Let's just say you should probably avoid trying to save the world for a little while," he teased and was rewarded by a weak smile from her.

"I'm afraid that's not up to me," she reminded him.

"Then let's just hope that the next crisis isn't coming soon," he said hopefully. "I think we all could use a break."

"What will happen to Jaha?" she ventured to ask.

"I guess it depends on what Lexa wants to do," he admitted. "I'm hoping she'd consider that he was under A.L.I.E.'s influence."

Clarke doubted that but kept it to herself. She saw Jaha briefly on her way out and wondered why he was still unconscious when the others have already regained their consciousness.

"Your mom thinks it's because he's had a chip the longest," he explained guessing what she was thinking.

Clarke thought it was convenient for Jaha considering that the punishment for what he did was death or at the very least banishment from Lexa's lands.

"How is Lexa doing?" he asked changing the subject.

"Probably thinking of the future," she replied a little sharply before realizing it.

"That's not a bad thing," he pointed out. "She needs to be ready for anything."

"Including her own death?" she asked sadly. "She talks about it a lot; she's not afraid to die."

Kane pondered on it a moment before replying. "I think she doesn't want to die just as much as we don't want her to. She just doesn't let the fear of dying get in the way of doing what needs to be done. You seem to be following her lead." He couldn't help but make the last observation.

Clarke took the slight scolding in stride. "You're beginning to sound like my mom."

Kane smiled. "Your mom cares for you and just want you to live a long life."

Clarke noticed her mom approach them and stood up. Before Abby could say a word, she hugged her mom. "Thanks."

Abby looked at Kane with a quizzical look but only saw him nod with a smile. Her worry and anger all faded away as she hugged her daughter back.

.

Clarke returned indoors only to find Lexa had left the room. She wandered around looking for her when she saw Octavia. "Have you seen Lexa?"

"I thought she was with you," Octavia replied. "Did you two fight?"

Clarke gave Octavia a frown before using her new found ability. "Lexa, where are you?" She waited for a response.

"I'm in the room with the machine," Lexa replied directly to her.

Octavia watched Clarke head off without another word. She shook her head and wondered what had gotten into her friend.

Clarke found Lexa seated looking at the machine that still hummed and blinked with activity. "What are you doing here?"

Lexa turned to look at Clarke with a sad look. "This machine can read and possibly erase my spirit."

Clarke understood the threat it posed and looked around the room. She remembered what Monty said before then took a stun stick that was laying on a nearby table. She activated it and stuck it into the heart of the machine that made it spark and sizzle before falling silent.

"What have you done?" Monty asked in surprise having just arrived in the room.

They heard racing footsteps rush towards them before seeing Raven, Abby and Kane arrive. It was clear to everyone what had happened.

Lexa could tell they were not pleased and was ready to defend Clarke until she felt a gentle reassuring hand on hers.

"I had to do it so no one can ever harm her," Clarke explained. She could see their obvious shared disappointment in the destruction of the machine in their midst.

No one made a move until finally Abby stepped up.

"Why don't you two get some rest?" Abby suggested. "We can talk about it when we've all rested." She watched as Clarke and Lexa took her up on her offer while she stayed behind with the rest.

.

Lexa followed Clarke back to the room that was to be theirs while there. She saw Clarke sit on the edge of the bed quite drained. She sat next to her and held her hand.

Clarke hadn't realized how tired she was until just then. She rested her head on Lexa's shoulder and wished they could just stay that way for a while.

"I was wrong Clarke," Lexa began saying.

Clarke looked up at her waiting for her to continue.

"You are my weakness," Lexa reiterated.

Clarke drew away slightly and quickly thought of counterpoints to what she thought Lexa was about to use as reasons to break up with her.

"But you are also my strength," Lexa admitted. "You are always trying to fix things for me and you're more protective than Titus."

"I just want you to live longer," Clarke explained quite relieved that it wasn't where she thought the conversation was going. "I want you to see what peace is like; you deserve it more than anyone."

"You deserve it just as much," Lexa corrected her sharing the credit. "You've shown me a path to a different future for our people." She leaned in and gave her a kiss to express her appreciation. She felt Clarke pull her closer to deepen the connection.

Clarke finally let her emotions emerge and it came in the form of tears. She couldn't hold back and hoped Lexa would understand her weakness.

"What's the matter?" Lexa asked when she felt the warm trickle against her cheek.

"I thought I was going to lose you," Clarke confessed. "I know you think that makes me weak."

"How could I possibly do that?" Lexa asked comfortingly wiping away her tears. She had a pang of regret for making Clarke believe it was so. "You've shown me that it's alright to have a weakness. It allowed me to come back to this reality."

Clarke was visibly touched by that revelation. How did you get back?" she asked realizing they hadn't figured that out.

"After A.L.I.E. disappeared, Pramheda appeared and showed me the way out," Lexa revealed. "I thought there was only one backdoor but she had created another just in case."

"She thought of everything didn't she?" Clarke noted gratefully.

"Not everything; we still have a problem," Lexa admitted. She saw Clarke's shoulder sag slightly and decided to postpone telling her about it. "But it can wait."

Clarke was glad they could have a short break before the next crisis. She leaned closer and kissed Lexa.

"Your mother said we should rest Clarke," Lexa reminded her.

"I won't tell if you won't," Clarke said playfully finding her second wind.

.

Lexa watched as Clarke slept. She was still astounded by how lucky she was to be with her. She thought back to her encounter with Becca before returning.

 _/flashback_

 _"Why are you still here?" a voice asked._

 _Lexa turned and instinctively tightened her grip on the knife in her hand. She was momentarily confused having just seen A.L.I.E. disappear right before her. She worried that she miscalculated and hadn't destroyed her after all._

 _"She's gone," the woman assured her. "Don't you recognize me?"_

 _"Pramheda," Lexa acknowledged then relaxed._

 _"Thank you for doing what I couldn't," Becca said. "But now you must go back to our people; they need you now more than ever."_

 _"I don't know how," Lexa admitted. "Our people won't be without a leader." She was quite confident Clarke would step up and continue her work._

 _Becca moved to a fake wall and revealed a door. "She can't do it alone; you need each other to face the next danger."_

 _"What next danger?" Lexa asked eager to know._

 _Becca knew there was little time so she reached for Lexa's arm to transfer whatever information she knew before it went dark._

 _"May we meet again" was the last Lexa heard from Becca._

 _/flashback_

.

Clarke stirred awake and found Lexa watching her. "Good morning," she greeted her nonverbally.

Lexa smiled hearing that she was beginning to use the ability more. "Did you sleep well?" she replied similarly.

Clarke nodded and ran her fingers across Lexa's face. She could tell that Lexa was already thinking about the problem she mentioned. "What's bothering you?"

"The missiles," Lexa began. "We need to find a way to dismantle them completely so they will no longer pose any future threat."

Clarke lifted her head up to be level with Lexa. "Do you know what to do with the nuclear material?"

"Pramheda mentioned nuclear reactors that we can use to harness its energy," Lexa revealed. She didn't know the details but it was a start. "Do you think your friends will help us figure it out?"

"You're worried they're still upset about what I did?" Clarke knew why she was concerned. "I'll take care of it; I'll ask them nicely."

Lexa smiled and gave her a kiss. She was about to do more when they heard a soft knock at the door.

"Clarke, are you awake?" Octavia called out softly.

"What does she want this early?" Lexa asked nonverbally.

"I don't know," Clarke replied in turn. "Send her away."

"Me? Why do I have to do that?"

"You're the commander," Clarke teased. "She takes your orders."

"She's your friend," Lexa reminded her with a smile that deepened when Clarke rolled her eyes.

"Clarke," Octavia called out again a little louder this time.

"What is it O?" Clarke asked though the door.

"The leader of the Ice Nation is here looking for the commander."

Lexa quickly got up and prepared to meet with Roan.

"Why is he here?" Clarke asked wondering how he found them and disliking his intrusion.

"I'll let you know when I find out," Lexa said softly.

"Send him away," Clarke suggested even though she knew it wasn't going to happen.

Lexa gave her a sweet smile before heading out the door. She let Octavia lead the way and saw Roan waiting for her outside. She strode towards him leaving Octavia behind.

Octavia observed how despite her smaller build, Lexa commanded respect from the Ice Nation's leader. She noticed her brother return from patrol and come to observe them with her. "How did he find us?" she asked him.

Bellamy shrugged but knowing his sister was skeptical thought of an answer. "He probably followed Jaha."

"Clarke isn't thrilled he's here," Octavia revealed.

"It's just a matter of time before Polis sent people looking for her," he said turning to her. "The sooner she returns to her people, the better for us."

"What do you mean?"

"Jaha sent me to go to Polis," he revealed. "He thought that's where you took Lexa until he realized she wasn't there and ordered my team to capture the ambassadors."

"So the Grounders have a reason to retaliate against us," she concluded sadly. "You have to tell Clarke; she's the only one who can talk to Lexa and prevent another war." She tugged at his arm to go find her.

Bellamy had no choice but to do as he was told. He just hoped that the leader of the Ice Nation will remember what they agreed on.

 _/flashback_

 _He trained his gun at Roan's head and waited for him to make a move. He was slightly disappointed when his target started to head in the other direction. He wasn't sure if he could trust him but needed someone to take Lexa back to Polis. He braced himself to confront the man before stepping on a broken branch to get his attention._

 _Roan approached Bellamy even if he had a gun pointed at him. "I've come for the commander." He knew he stood no chance against the weapon but had to believe Lincoln was right about him. "I'm not here to fight with you."_

 _"What happened to my men?" Bellamy asked showing concern for them._

 _"If you want to know if they're still alive then yes," Roan revealed. "But it's up to Lexa if they continue to be so."_

 _"They were just following orders," Bellamy defended them._

 _"They stand a better chance if Heda returns soon," Roan pointed out._

 _"What about Clarke?"_

 _"Wanheda is free to do what she wants. I'm only here for the commander."_

 _Reassured, Bellamy gave him directions to the mansion._

 _/flashback_

"Good, you're both here," Clarke said as they met up inside. "We need to talk."


	29. Chapter 29

Lexa walked a short distance away from the mansion before turning to face Roan. "Did Titus send you to find me?"

Roan smiled remembering a similar question from Clarke. "Titus believes that you and Wanheda are off trying to save the world."

Lexa quickly realized that Clarke had managed to give a credible story to keep Titus at ease. "So why are you here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," he replied. "There was a group from Skaikru attacking Polis." He waited to see how she would react to that news.

"I believe they were attacking alongside some of our own," she stated seeing his surprise of her knowledge about the attack.

"They have all been captured," he revealed. "Titus wanted them all killed but your nightbloods interceded for them. They wanted you to decide their fates."

Lexa was quite pleased that her novitiates were learning restraint as she had hoped.

"Titus isn't pleased," he continued. "He said that an attack on your city and ambassadors is an attack on you."

Lexa decided then and there that she was needed back in Polis to avoid further bloodshed.

.

Clarke watched and waited as her friends and mom each took their own time of making sense of what she had just revealed to them.

"Does Lexa have any idea where these reactors are?' Kane was first to speak up.

"She doesn't have all the details," Clarke admitted. "That's where she needs our help."

"How can we be certain she won't take advantage of us?" Bellamy asked distrustfully. "Once we have it running, she can take control and deny us access."

"She won't," Clarke tried to assure not only him but everyone in the room.

"How do we know she won't?" Monty asked following Bellamy's lead. "She left us the last time she got what she needed."

"This isn't the same; Lexa wants to rebuild not destroy like A.L.I.E.," Clarke explained hoping it would gain their trust in her contrasting her against their recent adversary.

"Just because she saved us this time doesn't mean she isn't going to turn her back on us again," Bellamy said pointedly. "Or have you forgotten?"

"I'm not asking for any of you to forget," Clarke began wishing she could tell them what Lexa had planned when she thought it was her end. "I'm asking you to forgive." She opted not to tell them to avoid any complications and saw them genuinely consider her request.

.

Lexa waited outside for Roan to return with horses. She took that time alone to figure out how to convince Clarke to stay behind while she returned to Polis to deal with the fallout of Skaikru's attack. She wanted to appear impartial and anything less than executing the attackers would seem influenced by Clarke if she was there. Although deep in thought, she was well aware of her surroundings and noticed Bellamy coming out of the mansion in a foul mood followed closely by Octavia. She watched the siblings argue about something before Octavia went back inside. She then drew her sword and turned towards the presence behind her.

"It's just me," Roan said with his hands up showing her he meant no harm.

"You know better than to sneak up on me," Lexa said lowering her sword.

"Are you sure Wanheda won't be joining us?" he asked her having only gotten two horses from a nearby village.

"Arkadia needs her more at the moment," she said before heading in to say her goodbye to Clarke.

.

Clarke was heading out to find Lexa when they crossed paths. She was trying to figure out how she was going to break the news that she had to go back to Arkadia when she spied on Roan standing beside two horses.

"We need to talk," they both began to speak simultaneously.

"I suppose you're heading back to Polis without me," Clarke guessed correctly.

"And I believe you are needed in Arkadia," Lexa stated noticing her slight displeasure.

"I need a little more time to persuade them to help," Clarke admitted wishing she could tell her friends what to do without question.

Lexa nodded to indicate she understood. "Settle matters in Arkadia quickly then come to me in Polis. May we meet again."

Clarke was cheered by the fact that Lexa still wanted her in Polis. She brushed off Lexa's arm and gave her a quick hug instead. "I'll see you soon."

Lexa gave her a quick nod as acknowledgment before heading to mount her horse.

Clarke followed and pulled Roan aside as he was about to mount his ride. "If anything happens to her, you'll feel Wanheda's wrath."

Roan nodded respectfully knowing that it was no idle threat.

"Aren't you going with her?" Octavia asked walking up next to her and watching the pair ride away.

"I think we have work to do in Arkadia," Clarke said. "Can I count on your help to get back to Polis soon?" She saw her friend accept with a nod.

.

Lexa and Roan arrived in Polis as quickly as their horses could take them. She wasted no time and called for a meeting with all her ambassadors. As she presided over it, she listened as each clan representative demanded action against Skaikru. She gave them ample time to speak their minds.

"What are your orders?" Titus asked when the last had spoken.

"Skaikru's attack wasn't of their own volition," Lexa began raising her hand when the assembled began to complain. "They were afflicted by a disease that made them aggressive. I know that some of your very own were affected."

Titus was visibly surprised by her knowledge and looked at Roan thinking he had revealed the extent of the attack.

Roan shook his head in response to the silent implied accusation.

Lexa noticed this exchange and gave Titus a stern look. "People you trusted behaved contrary to what you expected because they were being controlled by the disease."

"Is there a cure?" one ambassador asked.

Lexa recognized her and knew her son was among those that A.L.I.E. had control over. She smiled and took that opportunity to sell the idea of curing everyone by sending them to Arkadia. "Wanheda will help us get rid of it."

"How did she find the cure?" Titus asked wondering if Skaikru brought it to them to begin with.

"Wanheda and I found the source and figured out how to destroy it," Lexa revealed. "She has gone back to Arkadia to make sure that there are no remaining traces of it. We should send those affected to her to heal." She was glad when everyone including Titus agreed to her plan.

.

Clarke looked around Arkadia and wasn't surprised it was deserted. Almost everyone probably had gone to the shelters as A.L.I.E. had commanded them.

"Let's get the defenses restored first," Bellamy ordered as they got inside. "There is no guarantee that the Grounders won't retaliate."

"Lexa won't allow that," Clarke said.

"Then why is she keeping our people who went to attack Polis?" he challenged. "Shouldn't they be here by now?"

Clarke didn't know the answer but trusted that Lexa must have a reason for the delay.

Octavia opened the door to the main building and found many huddled inside. She saw Jasper and walked up to him then punched him hard. "You traitor." She was quickly restrained by Bellamy while Monty stepped between them to shield his friend.

"Why did you do it?" Raven asked.

"I just wanted the pain to go away," Jasper explained. "Pain that she caused." He turned to Clarke to make sure it was clear.

"I'm sorry you're in pain," Clarke apologized walking up to him. "But that's no reason to want to give up and just become a mindless slave. I once thought running away was a solution but someone showed me that life is still worth living. I now believe we can still find happiness if we rebuild together. I need your help; all of you." She looked around the room hoping to motivate them to do so.

Jasper took a moment before accepting the challenge. He was soon followed by others in the room who began to move to work on Arkadia first.

.

Clarke was glad to finally get away from everyone after jumping right into setting things in order on top of the long journey back to Arkadia. She was so exhausted but quickly realized it was the same room she was in the last time she was there. She suddenly missed Lexa and was about to climb into bed when she heard a commotion outside her door. She went to see what it was.

"I thought I should give this back to you," Jasper began when the door opened.

Clarke accepted the peace offering and thanked him for it before he left. She set the box down on a table and checked it for any damage and was relieved to see it intact. She couldn't wait to return it to Lexa and hoped it would be soon. She climbed into bed knowing that a piece of her was nearby and didn't feel so lonely anymore.

.

Lexa watched her soldiers prepare to go to Arkadia to escort those who've shown symptoms of being under A.L.I.E.'s control. She was quite certain they were free but didn't mind having Clarke confirm for her.

"Are you sure this will work?" Titus asked joining her on the balcony on the lower floor of the tower. "How do you even know it's the disease that made them attack us?"

"Because Clarke and I have dealt with it before," Lexa explained simply. "Are you doubting me Titus?" She turned to look at her mentor.

"No," Titus replied unequivocally. "You have achieved more than any before you have done."

"It's not over yet; now it's time to rebuild," Lexa declared. "Come, there is much to discuss." She led the way to meet with the ambassadors.

.

Clarke woke up with a determination that no one who saw her could misunderstand. Even Quark noticed the urgency of her step as she headed to meet with her friends.

"Clarke," Octavia called out to her. "You have to come see this."

Clarke hesitated wanting to get with those who can help her figure out the nuclear reactors first.

"The commander has sent you a message," Octavia insisted pulling her out towards the gate.

Clarke found Bellamy with some guards by the gate ready to engage Lexa's soldiers just outside of it. She knew it wasn't an attack when she saw one of Lexa's personal guards. She walked towards him as he dismounted.

"Wanheda," he greeted her. "Heda sends these people to you to be healed."

Clarke quickly understood what Lexa had done and looked at the group behind him that included both their peoples who have taken the pill. She accepted the task and asked the guards to let them in.

"We can't let the Grounders in," Bellamy whispered to Clarke. "It may be a trap."

Clarke was slightly irked but agreed. She asked non-residents of Arkadia to setup camp outside and promised that the cure will be brought to them.

"What cure?" Abby asked as she walked up next to her.

Clarke took her mom aside to have a private conversation. "Lexa wants us to confirm that they are free of the chip. We can make it look like it's the cure."

"There are so many of them," Abby said figuring it would take a while and wasn't comfortable having Grounders so close to home.

"Let's make it work mom," Clarke requested gently. "We've destroyed both A.L.I.E. and the remaining pills so it'll be safe."

Abby wasn't so sure but agreed to do her best. She instructed her staff to begin a triage line.

Clarke watched and knew it could be done.

"Wanheda, Heda also sent this to you" the guard spoke to her again handing over a box to her.

Clarke lifted the lid and saw a supply of her favorite treat inside. She knew what it implied immediately and wanted to reply in kind. She instructed the guard to wait for her and quickly returned to her room.

.

Lexa returned to her room quite drained by the questions that she had no answers for yet. She had to rely on Clarke and her friends to find it for her and hoped it would be soon. Not only did she miss having Clarke near but her ambassadors were also getting anxious to get rid of the missiles.

"Heda," the guard called out from outside her door before entering. He was carrying a box that Clarke sent with him.

Lexa immediately recognized it and signaled for him to set it down on the table. After listening to his report, she dismissed him and turned her attention to Pramheda's box. Even if it had served its purpose, she was glad Clarke had gotten it back for her. She instinctively went to open the hidden compartment and sure enough there was a token in it to let her know she was equally missed.

.

Clarke couldn't get to Polis quick enough and wished that Quark would stop slowing her down.

"Please Wanheda," Quark called out after her. "Heda would much prefer you arrive unharmed."

Clarke grudgingly slowed her horse's pace and waited for him to catch up but as soon as Polis was in sight, she set off again and Quark can only hope she got there safely. As she waited for the elevator to reach her floor she was beginning to think that the world was conspiring to delay her reunion with Lexa. First there was her mother who wanted her to promise she wouldn't take any dangerous measures before leaving Arkadia. Then there was Bellamy who insisted on tagging along to make sure they were safe. But all thoughts around the delays disappeared when the door opened and she ran to find Lexa.

.

Lexa was concluding her meeting with Titus and Indra when she felt a familiar presence which is why she wasn't startled when Clarke entered her room. She could tell by the looks on their faces that she was the only one who wasn't surprised by her arrival.

"Welcome back," Indra greeted Clarke before taking Lexa's subtle signal to leave them.

"We look forward to hearing the answers," Titus said before following Indra out.

Clarke waited to hear the door shut before rushing to hug Lexa. "I've missed you." It had been a while but she was still able to communicate with Lexa telepathically.

"Then what took you so long?" Lexa replied in similar fashion.

Clarke pulled away to show her a frown but could see it had no effect on Lexa. "If you didn't send me too many distractions I probably could've gotten back sooner," she pointed out verbally.

"Did you like the other thing I sent?" Lexa asked trying to smooth things over.

Clarke smiled and nodded appreciatively. "Did you get your box back?" She had no doubt but thought she'd ask.

Lexa nodded and said nothing more.

"Did you find something in it?" Clarke prompted her.

It was Lexa's turn to smile and she revealed the watch that she found in the box. She handed it back to Clarke knowing that it was given to her for temporary safekeeping.

Clarke accepted it and placed it back on her wrist. She looked at its face and noticed it was working. "How?"

"I found this lodged in it," Lexa explained showing her a small note.

Clarke realized it was so like her dad to do such a thing to send her a message. She quickly read it and was visibly moved by it as she took a seat.

Lexa sat next to her waiting for her to share and read the note when Clarke handed it to her.

Clarke leaned against Lexa's shoulder. "Thank you for finding the note. I didn't realize it was there all this time."

Lexa kissed the top of Clarke's head. "Didn't I tell you that you were born for this?"

"Yes you did," Clarke acknowledged reading the note again. " _I believe in you._ _Lead well._ _Be happy._ _Dad."_

.

Clarke welcomed her friends when they arrived. She escorted Raven and Octavia to her old room and told them what to expect when they were called in to meet with Lexa and her court.

"Did you tell her yet?" Octavia asked urgently.

"Not yet but I will," Clarke replied trying to assure her that she would. "Rest up and I'll come get you when it's time."

Octavia watched as Clarke left and was about to head out when Raven blocked her way.

"You're not leaving me alone in here are you?" Raven asked.

"Is there a problem with the room?" Octavia asked wondering why she didn't want to stay.

"It's not the room; it's being alone in it," Raven clarified. "Someone might accuse me of something again and I'd end up imprisoned or dead."

Octavia remembered how uneasy she was as they got closer to Polis. She marveled at it but at the same time worried what might happen to her inside of it. "Nothing will happen to you; Lexa knows you're invaluable for this mission. Besides, Clarke won't let anything happen to you."

Raven was still doubtful and insisted on sticking with Octavia wherever she went while in Polis.

.

Lexa had just returned from sparring with the novitiates when Clarke entered the room. She continued to shed her outer vestment. "How are your friends?"

"Settled," Clarke informed her carefully watching Lexa for any signs of injury since her request to forego the exercise had been ignored.

"No bruises," Lexa declared proudly. "You can check if you like." She didn't mind subjecting herself to Clarke's attention and quite liked seeing her blush.

"We need to talk first," Clarke said delaying what she really wanted to do. "It's about Bellamy." She saw Lexa tense ever so slightly.

"I'm not going to lift his kill order especially if he is seen in Polis," Lexa said with finality. She obviously hadn't forgiven him.

"I'm not asking for that," Clarke clarified. "But I am asking if you'd let him join us on this mission. It might help change perceptions; your people about us and my friends about them."

Lexa considered it a moment and agreed to give it a shot. She decided that her personal feelings about Bellamy didn't have to stand in the way of upholding peace and rebuilding. "Anything else to discuss?"

"No, this doesn't need words," Clarke said moving to show Lexa what she really needed.

.

Clarke appreciated all the preparation Lexa had done beforehand that made it easier for them to begin their mission. The meeting with the ambassadors went smoothly and now they were just waiting for Raven as she assessed the first missile base they went to.

"It's bigger than I thought," Raven said when she was done.

"Explain," Lexa asked wondering what that meant.

"We need a bigger box," Raven said looking disappointed at the one that they had brought with them to contain the radioactive material.

"Where are we going to find a big enough container?" Octavia asked wryly.

"I've seen one big enough in Mount Weather," Bellamy revealed coming up behind her and watching heads turn towards him.

"Have you forgotten that Mount Weather is gone?" Octavia asked him.

"I know where we might be able to find one," Clarke spoke up. "I know someone who may have salvaged it before it was destroyed." She took Raven, Octavia, Lexa and a few guards to Niylah's trading post hoping that she had indeed saved what they needed.

"How did you know about this place?" Lexa asked when they were inside while the others waited outside. She saw a few familiar pieces that were probably spoils of war.

"I traded with her a few times before," Clarke explained hoping it was enough.

"Wanheda!" Niylah exclaimed running up to her and pulled her in to lock lips with her.

Lexa looked on without reaction. She noticed Octavia slowly back out after witnessing the same thing.

Clarke pulled away quickly and turned to see how Lexa reacted but seeing none spoke to her non-verbally. "It's not what you think."

"Heda," Niylah greeted her realizing her presence belatedly. "What can I do for you?"

"Wanheda thinks you have something we need," Lexa declared authoritatively. "Can you help her find it?"

Outside, Raven was getting impatient and headed to join her companions.

"I wouldn't go in there," Octavia warned having just avoided an awkward situation.

No sooner had she said that when Lexa strode out and told them to go help Clarke find what they were looking for. Raven hopped to it but Octavia lingered to watch Lexa start to leave.

"Stay and help them before returning to camp," Lexa ordered her guards before leaving.


	30. Chapter 30

Lexa decided to join her men hunt to distract herself. She hadn't done it for a while in the real world but fell right into it as she crouched with them as they stalked their prey. She found the perfect opportunity to hit it on its broadside and pulled her bow but before she could release the arrow she felt Clarke approach. From the corner of her eye she saw Clarke but more importantly the prey looked up and knew she had to make her move so fired her shot. Her arrow found its mark and dropped the animal quickly. She heard her men cheer before going to take it back to camp.

"Can we talk?" Clarke asked as she got near her.

"You almost spooked our prey," Lexa said passing her quiver to a nearby soldier. "Have you found what you were looking for?"

Clarke waited for the soldier to walk away before replying. "They're still looking but I need to talk to you about Niylah."

"There's no need for that," Lexa said starting to walk back to camp but stopped when Clarke blocked her path.

"I think there is," Clarke insisted. "I want to explain what just happened. I met her when I was living on my own; when I thought I could cut all ties from people. She showed me kindness and that made me realize I can't shut out people completely." She noticed Lexa react ever so slightly and wondered what was going through her mind.

"Do you care for her?" Lexa finally asked.

Clarke hesitated not wanting to hurt her but knew she had to tell the truth. "Yes, I care for her but not as deeply as I care for you." She moved closer to make the point clear.

Lexa nodded indicating she understood. "I'm glad she was there to help you."

Clarke was, too, considering what followed after that.

.

Lexa and Clarke arrived at camp followed by soldiers carrying the sizable kill that they would feast on that night. They exchanged looks when they saw Octavia pacing near their tent.

"Where were you?" Octavia asked quickly walking up to them. "We have a problem."

"What happened?" Clarke asked wondering what changed since she left them at Niylah's.

"She said she won't give us the box," Octavia said. "Something about it being the last thing her father brought back."

"Where's Raven?" Clarke asked looking for her.

"In her tent trying to figure out if she can find another way to transport the nuclear materials safely," Octavia said. "But it might take a while."

"I'll talk to Niylah," Clarke offered and headed to see her again.

Octavia stayed behind and watched Lexa follow Clarke back to Niylah's trading post. She wondered if it would just be easier if Lexa ordered Niylah to give up the box. She decided to let them figure out how to handle it and went back to check on Raven.

"Did you tell them?" Raven asked when she entered the tent. "What did they say?"

"They've gone back to try and get it," Octavia replied. "I guess you didn't find a way to do it with what we've got."

"Probably if I had a computer I can compute faster," Raven said.

"I'm sure Clarke and Lexa will find a way to get us that box," Octavia said confidently.

"And if not, maybe Bellamy will have better luck," Raven revealed.

.

Clarke was playing different scenarios in her head to see what could be the best reason to use to convince Niylah to give them the box. She was learning how to do what Lexa did with the help of the chip.

"I could order her to give us the box," Lexa suggested knowing what she was doing.

"We can't do that to her," Clarke countered. "It won't be fair. We just have to find something she wants more than keeping it."

"I know something she wants," Lexa said quietly watching Clarke turn expectantly to her for the answer. "You."

Clarke was visibly shocked. "Please tell me that's coming from your mind and not your heart."

Lexa looked painfully torn by it. "It's a sacrifice we have to make if we are to achieve our goal."

"No, it's not a sacrifice I'm willing to make!" Clarke rejected adamantly. "Nor should you." She was trying hard to keep her displeasure hidden but failing at it.

"I'm sorry," Lexa apologized realizing her mistake. "It just seemed logical."

"But this isn't a logical situation," Clarke reminded her suddenly hitting on an idea. "Which is why we shouldn't try to take it from her."

Lexa could tell Clarke had a solution and was intrigued. "So what are you proposing?"

"I think we should borrow the box," Clarke replied. "I was only willing to give you my dad's watch because I knew you'd return it to me if I asked for it." She explained seeing her puzzled look.

"What if we can't return it to her?" Lexa asked playing devil's advocate. "We may be using it many times to transport nuclear material that by the time we're done it will be too dangerous to give it back to her."

Clarke appreciated Lexa's forward-thinking but wasn't going to worry about that yet. "Can we not think that far ahead? A solution might present itself when the time comes."

"Clarke!" Octavia called out as she caught up to them with Lincoln right behind her.

"What's the matter?" Clarke asked seeing her concerned look.

"Bellamy went to see Niylah," Octavia revealed. "Raven told him about her refusing to give us the box."

They all came to the same conclusion that it could be trouble so they quickly went to the trading post only to find Niylah on top of Bellamy giving him a beating.

"You killed my father!" Niylah kept screaming at him while hitting him as hard as she could.

Lexa signaled Lincoln to pull Niylah off of Bellamy and quickly assessed that he meant her no harm because he hadn't reached for his weapon.

"I'm sorry," Bellamy said finally getting up with Octavia's help.

"What happened?" Clarke asked looking between the two of them.

"I thought I could convince her to give us what we need," Bellamy tried to explain,

"I would never give it to you because of what you did to my father!" Niylah declared angrily trying to break free of Lincoln to attack him again.

"Enough!" Lexa ordered. "Take him outside while I deal with her." She added non-verbally to Clarke.

Clarke nodded and led her friends out to diffuse the tense situation.

.

Clarke walked behind Bellamy and Octavia preoccupied with her thoughts.

"She didn't sound like that earlier," Octavia noted wondering what changed. "What did you say to her?"

Clarke and Octavia looked at Bellamy for an answer.

"I may have mentioned that I was sorry I couldn't prevent her father's death," he confessed.

"Why would you do that?" Octavia asked in surprise. "How did you think she'd react to that?"

Clarke was disappointed in Bellamy for complicating their situation. She just hoped Lexa could salvage it. She saw her exit from the trading post followed by Lincoln. She waited for the outcome.

"She is demanding your punishment," Lexa addressed Bellamy. "I've managed to stay her request but you must return to Arkadia immediately for your own safety."

"You can't tell me what to do," Bellamy blurted out before he could think.

Lexa's response was swift and the combined gasps from their companions didn't mask the swooshing sound of her blade. "I can and I will."

Clarke quickly intervened knowing how angry she was with him. "Please Lexa, don't." She saw Octavia and Lincoln follow her lead and move to shield him from harm.

"Why not? He would rather follow orders from a man who would kill my people while they slept," Lexa seethed remembering his role in the affair.

"Let me talk to him," Clarke entreated.

Lexa glared at Bellamy before deciding to let Clarke deal with him. "Send him home; I don't want to see him back at camp," she non-verbally told Clarke before withdrawing her sword and heading back to camp.

"Do you have a death wish?" Octavia asked her brother angrily.

"She can't just order us around," he countered.

"She wasn't doing that," Clarke said trying to correct his notion. "She was looking out for you just as she's looking out for all of us."

"Why can't you see that she's always finding a reason to kill us?" he asked trying to do the same.

"Because if she really wanted us dead, why would she risk her life to avenge us? She almost died because of us." Clarke defended her remembering Queen Nia's threat and only Lincoln didn't seemed surprised. "She killed the queen of the Ice Nation because she ordered the attack on Mount Weather."

Bellamy clearly didn't want to believe but Octavia was quite the opposite after hearing that revelation.

"I don't know what else to tell you to change your mind," Clarke said sadly. "But I agree with her that it's probably best for you to go back to Arkadia."

"She's going to send someone to kill me," he said fearing it might happen if he traveled alone.

Clarke pulled a piece of cloth and wiped the side of his neck. "If she wanted you dead, she would've done it already." She handed him the evidence Lexa had nicked him earlier but restrained herself.

"I'll go with him," Lincoln offered. He saw Clarke nod in appreciation and got a hug from Octavia.

"Stay out of trouble," Octavia whispered as she hugged Bellamy.

.

Lexa was meditating inside the tent when she sensed Clarke return. She silently watched her come in still in a bad mood.

"I sent him home," Clarke said when she noticed Lexa approach.

"It's for his own good," Lexa said watching Clarke's body language carefully. "I know you wanted him along on this mission."

"Not if he's going to remind everyone about the massacre," Clarke said. "This is supposed to generate goodwill between our peoples."

"It still can," Lexa said optimistically. "You are the ambassador of your people."

Clarke was grateful for the encouragement and hugged Lexa. "What would I do without you?"

Lexa knew she would manage somehow but decided not to bring up the subject of her leading so soon. She heard one of the guards call her attention about Niylah asking to see her.

Clarke pulled away when Niylah was ushered in. She wondered if Niylah was going to renew her demand to punish Bellamy.

"Heda," Niylah greeted respectfully before turning to Clarke with a beaming smile. "I've reconsidered and would like to offer anything you need for your mission."

"What did you say to her?" Clarke asked Lexa telepathically.

"That Pike had already paid with his life by your hands," Lexa replied.

"Thank you for avenging my father," Niylah said drawing their attention back to her. "He can now join our ancestors in peace." She moved towards Clarke to show her appreciation.

Clarke was prepared this time and managed to avoid another kiss from her. She could tell Niylah was disappointed but wasn't going to be denied so got a hug instead.

"I'll send my men to retrieve it," Lexa announced before heading out of the tent.

"Would you have a meal with me before you go?" Niylah invited her.

"We have a lot of preparing to do," Clarke made up an excuse.

"Then perhaps when you return," Niylah said hopefully.

.

Lexa watched as her soldiers wheeled the container back into camp while Raven quickly ran up to them to make sure they didn't damage it.

"How did he move that from Mount Weather?" Octavia wondered out loud.

"He must've had help," Clarke guessed hoping their efforts wasn't wasted.

"Well we certainly need help to get that to where we're going," Octavia said. "Any ideas?"

"We can get more men in the next village," Lexa said already plotting their route in her mind. She was glad to see Octavia satisfied by that. "Why didn't you go with Niylah?" she asked Clarke privately.

Clarke was afraid she had heard that through the tent's flap as she was heading out earlier. "I'd rather not; she might want me to stay the night."

"It could give you both some closure," Lexa suggested.

"Do you want me to go?" Clarke asked nonchalantly surprising both of them. She watched Lexa struggle hoping that she would let her heart decide.

"No, I do not," Lexa replied sincerely. "What I want is for you to stay by my side."

"I want that, too," Clarke agreed happily wishing they were alone so she could express herself more freely.

"Thank you," Octavia spoke up interrupting their private conversation.

"For what?" Lexa asked regaining her composure quicker than Clarke.

"For not killing my brother," Octavia replied.

"They aren't listening to me," Raven complained interrupting the trio's conversation.

Lexa nodded at Clarke before following Raven to see what her men were doing that displeased Raven.

"Do you think Bellamy is ever going to change his mind about Lexa and her people?" Clarke asked.

"I don't know," Octavia answered honestly. "I just hope he does before he gets himself killed. We can't always be there to save him."

Clarke had hoped that their journey would do that but now that he had been sent home, it was unlikely he'd learn about the Grounders to change his perception in any way.

"Did Lexa really fight for us?" Octavia asked. She listened intently as Clarke related the whole affair and her respect for Lexa grew.

.

Clarke woke up and found Octavia's face hovering over her. She looked beside her but Lexa was already gone. "Where is Lexa?"

"She's with Raven working since dawn," Octavia revealed watching Clarke get up and pull her boots on. "So you share a bed with Lexa." She eyed it nosily.

"It's a big bed," Clarke pointed out hoping they didn't get into the details of their sleeping arrangements. "What are you doing in here anyway?" She tried to distract Octavia with the question.

"I just thought I'd wake you up since you're the only one still in bed in the whole camp," Octavia teased.

"It was a long night," Clarke retorted before realizing Lexa didn't let that get in the way. After a day-long journey, they arrived at the nuclear power facility and set up camp next to it. Lexa didn't want to waste time so they began to assess the condition of the plant and worked through the night.

"Come on, we wouldn't want to miss it when they turn it on," Octavia coaxed.

Clarke followed her and found Quark just outside the tent standing guard. She wondered why he hadn't blocked Octavia then realized he didn't have orders to do so and may have thought that Lexa had sent her.

.

Lexa watched as Raven fumbled with the protective suit that she needed to work directly with the radioactive material. She could clearly see it was too big for her and knew it wasn't going to work. She called one of her men over and gave him instructions. She waited while he walked over to Raven and take over.

"He doesn't know what to do," Raven told Lexa grudgingly giving up the suit.

"You will tell him what to do step by step," Lexa said. "He will do exactly what you say."

Raven knew better than to insist so she stepped back and let the man head to the chamber. "Turn the gear counterclockwise." She was horrified when he did the exact opposite. "Stop!"

"Use simple words," Lexa told her. "Turn it from the top to the left." She saw the relief on Raven's face when he was doing the right thing.

"What did we miss?" Octavia asked when she and Clarke joined them. She noticed that progress had been made.

"Being blown to bits," Raven revealed.

"What happened?" Clarke asked turning to Lexa.

"They just have to learn to communicate and work together," Lexa replied.

"I'll try," Raven said doing her best for the next steps to get the power plant operational.

.

Clarke became sleepy as she waited for Raven to finish running the diagnostics of the system. She decided to close her eyes for a moment when she heard the door slide open.

"You should eat," Lexa said offering a portion to Raven. She turned to look at Clarke's sleeping form and chose not to disturb her. She took off her cape and covered Clarke with it.

"You care about her," Raven noted eyeing her food curiously.

"I care about all my people," Lexa said. "Don't worry, it's not poisoned." She watched Raven take a small bite before eating with more gusto.

"This is pretty good; what is it?" Raven asked.

"It is better you don't know," Lexa said not wanting to spoil it for her. "Can I ask you a question? Why do you hide your weapon?"

Raven paused and pondered her response. "It's to protect myself; you did try to kill me."

"I only did that because you were accused of trying to poison me," Lexa countered.

"Falsely accused," Raven quickly reminded her.

"Gustus paid for that treachery with his life," Lexa said. "What would you have done in my place?"

"Don't you ever get tired of it?" Raven asked trying to see it from her point of view.

"It is part of who I am," Lexa said. "Maybe someday the next commander won't have to go through it."

"Clarke doesn't want you to go through it," Raven revealed. "She thinks you're our best protector but I think it's because she cares a lot about you. I used to have someone who cared for me like that."

"What happened?" Lexa asked quickly guessing she had lost that person.

"He died," Raven said sadly. "I envy Clarke because she still has good memories of him while I'm only left with the sad ones because A.L.I.E. took the happy ones all away."

Lexa quickly realized who she was referring to. "I hope you find someone someday."

Raven marveled at Lexa's empathy and saw her in a new light.

.

Lexa noticed Clarke stir awake and greeted her with a smile.

"Where is Raven?" Clarke asked looking around and stretching to get circulation back.

"I told her to rest while we waited for this to finish," Lexa replied showing her the progress displayed on the monitor.

"You should rest, too," Clarke suggested moving closer to her. "I can take over for you."

Lexa moved to do so but paused. "Would you feel the same way about me if the boy you loved had lived?" She knew it was a painful subject to bring up but she had to know.

"I think I would," Clarke assured her. "You have taught me how to be strong and shown me how to become a leader. But more importantly you make me happy." She leaned closer and gave her a kiss.

"Your friends could come in unexpectedly," Lexa said non-verbally.

"I'm ready to let my people know about us," Clarke replied continuing to kiss her.

Lexa pulled away abruptly when she heard something. "I thought I heard the door," she said in response to Clarke's questioning look.

"It must be the wind," Clarke dismissed.

"In a closed building?" Lexa questioned. "I don't think that was the wind."

Clarke didn't let that dissuade her from continuing to kiss her only to be interrupted by a beeping sound.

"It's finished," Lexa announced. "I'll go get Raven."

"No, stay and rest," Clarke countered. "I'll go get her." She headed for the door and was surprised when she found Raven just outside it.

Raven hesitated before noticing the diagnostic she was running was complete. She quickly confirmed it and informed them that the reactor was ready to turn on.

"What are you waiting for?" Clarke asked eagerly. She saw Raven look towards Lexa waiting for her signal.

Lexa appreciated the deference to her authority and gave her a quick nod. She felt Clarke reach for her hand as they waited for it to start. They heard the system begin but sputter to a halt.

"What happened?" Clarke asked watching Raven review her work.

"I should've known," Raven said under her breath. "I was hoping I could turn each station one at a time."

"How many are there?" Clarke asked realizing she needed help from them.

"Four," Raven revealed pointing to them on the map on the wall. "I can't be at all of them at once."

"Yes you can," Lexa said confidently. She saw Raven look puzzled but Clarke smiled coming up with the same idea so she left it to her to explain while she went to fetch Octavia.

Clarke started looking for a way to communicate while explaining what they would do next. She found a few radios and quickly checked them to see if they worked. "You can walk us through the steps to turn them on with these."

Lexa returned with Octavia right behind her. "Ready?" She accepted one of the radios and watched Clarke demonstrate how to use it.

"You sure this is going to work?" Octavia asked hesitantly.

"Only one way to find out," Clarke said handing her a radio and showing her the station she should go to.

"Remember to keep it simple," Lexa reminded Raven before heading out with Clarke and Octavia.


	31. Chapter 31

Clarke announced she had arrived at her station over the radio. She heard Octavia do the same and waited for Lexa to check in giving her more time because she went to the farthest station. When quite a bit of time had passed she tried to call her. "Commander, are you there yet?"

"Do you want me to go check on her?" Octavia offered on the radio.

"Lexa," Clarke called to her using her chip. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Lexa replied. "This device is not working; it's just emitting noise."

Clarke relayed the problem to Raven and got some suggestions on how to fix it.

"How did you know?" Raven asked curious how Clarke knew the trouble with Lexa's radio.

"I remembered Kane mentioning it," Clarke fibbed not wanting to tell them about her link to Lexa. After tinkering a little they managed to get everyone on the same frequency.

"Can we get started?" Octavia asked eager to get it done.

Raven gave clear instructions that they followed to a tee. "Ok, now we can turn them on; on the count of three."

"Wait, do we press the button at three; what happens if I'm a little early or late?" Octavia asked worried timing was crucial.

"The system can tolerate a little delay between us," Raven said. She counted and waited for the outcome.

"Did it work?" Clarke asked wondering if they succeeded as the overhead lights flickered.

Raven did some checks and confirmed that the system was operational. She asked them to return to see for themselves.

Octavia was the first to arrive and gave Raven a quick hug. "I can't believe we did it."

"Where are Clarke and Lexa?" Raven asked expecting them to be right behind her. "Have you noticed anything different about them?" She let her curiosity get the better of her.

"Like what?" Octavia asked leaning against the control table.

Raven struggled to articulate what was on her mind and decided to just drop it.

.

Clarke waited for Lexa to come around on her way back but after a while, she decided to check on her. She wondered what was keeping her until she found her crouched next to an open panel. She didn't want to startle her so softly called out to her.

Lexa looked up and gave her a triumphant smile before revealing what she was trying to retrieve.

Clarke walked closer to see what it was and saw a small bundle of fur shaking in her hands. She recognized it and tried to figure out how it ended up there.

"It must have fallen in," Lexa said stroking the little jaguar to comfort it. "We can release it outside later." She started heading back to where Raven and Octavia were waiting for them.

"It won't survive out on its own; it's too little, it could get eaten," Clarke pointed out walking beside her.

"If it survives, it will grow and might want to eat us," Lexa reminded her. She could tell Clarke wasn't about to let it go.

"I've killed one of its kind already," Clarke revealed. "I'm not going to kill another."

"How do you propose we find it a mother?" Lexa teased.

"I don't know; maybe we can raise it until it can fend for itself." Clarke suggested.

Lexa didn't know how they were going to do that but was willing to try for her. "Is that how you got the scar on your shoulder?"

Clarke didn't realize it was even visible. "I didn't think it was noticeable."

"I noticed and know every inch of you," Lexa said and smiled when she noticed her blush.

"There you are," Octavia called out to them as she found them in the hallway. "I found them." She announced as she led them back into the control room.

"What is that?" Raven asked looking at what Lexa was holding. "It's so cute."

Octavia looked over her shoulder. "It's cute until it's big enough to eat you."

Lexa gave Clarke a triumphant look now that one of her friends agreed with her.

"What are you going to do with it?" Raven asked unafraid of the little animal.

"Perhaps you'd like to take care of it," Lexa suggested giving it to her.

"Is that a good idea?" Clarke asked Lexa silently.

"She could use a little company," Lexa replied to Clarke. "Just be careful and remember that it is a feral animal." She felt the need to remind Raven of that.

Raven happily accepted the little animal and began to bond with it.

Clarke watched it purr and smiled when even Octavia seemed to melt towards it.

.

Lexa looked out her window as parts of Polis lit up. They had just returned and it was the first night they were using the electricity generated by the nuclear power plant.

"It may take a little getting used to," Clarke noted as she joined Lexa by the window.

Lexa nodded in agreement. She looked forward to hearing how people felt about it in the morning. "When do you think your people will complete their work?"

"They said it'll take them a few more days," Clarke gave her the update she got earlier. "I'm just glad they started here first." She was quite pleased that the elevator was now powered by electricity and the men assigned to the task seemed happy about it, too.

"Is there a way to dim the lights?" Lexa asked missing the softer light from candles.

Clarke had to admit that she did, too. She began to light the candles before turning off the light. "There, is that better?"

"Much better," Lexa confirmed and looked out again as another section lit up. She thought she could hear the faint sound of celebration from the street below. "It seems our people are bonding over this endeavor quite well."

"It's only possible because you've led us to this point," Clarke reminded her. "You've allowed my people to live so we can use our knowledge to help rebuild."

"Let's hope the bond grows deeper and longer than it takes to rebuild," Lexa said hopefully turning away from the window.

"Lexa," Clarke began tentatively taking Lexa's hand in hers. "Will you marry me?" She waited for a response but when none came, she tried to explain what marriage was.

"I know what it means," Lexa told her. She knew Clarke needed an explanation for her hesitation so she gave her one. "No commander has ever been married before."

"Not even Pramheda?" Clarke asked getting her answer with a shake of Lexa's head. She had thought that Becca had children who eventually became nightbloods but now realize she probably chose from surviving children and injected them with the black liquid to make them her successors. "But no commander before you has ever achieved what you have; I think that changes things."

Lexa wondered what Clarke's reasoning was and prompted her to elaborate with a tilt of her head.

"The leaders of the clans are married so why can't you?" Clarke asked. "It doesn't prevent them from leading their people."

"It's different for them," Lexa pointed out. "They marry within their clans and do not have to remain impartial to all the clans in the coalition."

"I think you have already proven that many times," Clarke noted. "Defending my people just shows that you see what they couldn't. They must see by now that together we are stronger than apart." She held her breath as Lexa processed what she just said.

Lexa pondered her next move carefully. She could see more benefits than pitfalls to their union. "There is still one problem; the Bonding Ceremony requires that you take my mark."

"Is it going to be my whole back?" Clarke asked uneasily.

"Just your lower back," Lexa revealed. When asked if it would hurt, she nodded slightly not wanting to sugar-coat it. It was her turn to hold her breath while Clarke decided.

"There are many things I never thought I'd do," Clarke began observing Lexa carefully. "But I did them for my people."

Lexa tried hard to hide her disappointment that Clarke was only doing it for the benefit of her people. But before she could dwell long on that thought she heard a declaration that easily extinguished her doubt.

"I think it's time I did something for myself," Clarke added moving closer to her.

"Is that a yes to taking my mark?" Lexa asked evading her slightly. She got her answer in the form of a kiss.

"That's a definite yes if it means we are bonded for the rest of our life," Clarke said clearly before leading Lexa to bed.

.

Clarke couldn't sleep so she occupied herself thinking about the upcoming ceremony. She realized she knew nothing about it and wished that Lexa was awake to ask her about it. She unconsciously ran her fingers down Lexa's spine trying to imagine what kind of mark she was getting.

"Can't sleep?" Lexa asked turning over to face her.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Clarke apologized. "I just want to know more about the bonding ceremony."

"We can ask Titus in the morning," Lexa told her.

"You don't know either?" Clarke asked surprised that she wasn't more familiar with it from memories of the past commanders.

"None of the previous commanders nor I have been through it," Lexa reminded her. She wished then that she made some effort to learn what went on at the very least.

The mention of Titus brought an eventual realization to them both that they had to tell him about their plans.

"How do you think he's going to react?" Clarke asked.

"Probably the same way your mother would," Lexa speculated knowing that she, too, had to be told.

"I can handle my mom; Titus on the other hand scares me," Clarke declared.

"He's just as afraid of you as you are of him," Lexa pointed out lifting her head over a bent arm to look at Clarke. She was quite amused at the revelation especially knowing that Clarke had stood up to him before.

"When are we going to tell them?" Clarke wondered out loud. She watched as Lexa got up and gave the guard outside their door quick instructions to fetch Abby from Arkadia.

"She'll be here in the morning," Lexa said climbing back into bed.

"Would you mind if we told them separately?" Clarke asked not wanting to see Titus' disapproving look or letting Lexa see her mother's.

"Is there anything else?" Lexa asked knowing what Clarke was avoiding.

"Promise me you won't let Titus talk you out of it," Clarke requested sincerely.

"If you'll do the same with your mother," Lexa replied kissing the top of her head.

"I will," Clarke whispered and drifted off to sleep.

.

Lexa dismissed the nightbloods early which surprised Titus but he didn't question her especially when she asked him to stay behind. She watched as they filed out of the room before turning to him. "There is something I need to discuss with you."

Titus was all ears and waited wondering if it had anything to do with Abby's sudden arrival.

"Wanheda has asked me to marry her," Lexa revealed. "And I've accepted." She decided not to beat around the bush.

.

Clarke found her mother in the room she once occupied and was wrapped in her arms before she could say anything.

"Are you alright?" Abby asked looking her over quickly.

"I'm fine mom," Clarke assured her wanting to tell her the news quickly. "I wanted to tell you that Lexa and I are getting married."

.

Lexa waited patiently as Titus processed what she had just told him. She could see his distress even before he spoke up.

"It is one thing to have her as a close advisor," he began. "But this will make her more than that."

"I think she has earned it," she reminded him. "She has helped me achieve my goals by showing us a new way to live in peace, to use science to fix things and backed me up when I needed it."

.

Clarke wondered what was going through her mother's head after she told her what she and Lexa wanted to do. "I love her mom." She hoped that admission would make it easier for her to accept.

"I know," Abby acknowledged. "But this is a big step. Have you considered the danger this puts you in?"

"I'm in danger just by being Wanheda," Clarke pointed out. "Our union would make anyone pause before attacking either of us."

.

Lexa countered each point Titus brought up quite prepared for them. She considered it her practice when she had to face the ambassadors from the other clans.

"Does she know she must take your mark?" Titus asked hoping that was a deal breaker.

"She does and she is willing to take it," she replied sealing the deal.

.

Clarke could tell her mom wished things were different. "Are you disappointed?"

"No," Abby assured her gently touching her cheek. "I just want you to be happy."

"I thought I wouldn't but I really am," Clarke said happily.

"Then it's settled," Abby said. "Now is it possible to get something to eat? Lexa's guard made it sound very urgent so I didn't have time to."

Clarke quickly left to get something to impress her about Grounder food but when she got back, she found her mom had left.

.

Lexa returned to her room and found Abby waiting for her. She quickly discerned that Clarke wasn't there nor knew about her visit. She prompted her to speak her mind.

"Clarke just told me that you asked her to marry you," Abby began.

"She asked me," Lexa corrected her. "But yes; we agreed to get married." She wondered if Abby was there to try to talk her out of it.

.

Clarke guessed correctly that her mom went to see Lexa but when she got there it was only Lexa in the room.

"You just missed her," Lexa replied to the unasked question.

"Where did she go?" Clarke asked instead.

"She wanted to get back to Arkadia before nightfall," Lexa replied watching Clarke turn and try to catch her. She chose to wait for her to return and it didn't take too long.

"What did you say to her?" Clarke asked appearing more relaxed.

"Does it matter?" Lexa asked trying to avoid answering her question.

"Whatever it was, I'm glad you did," Clarke said appreciatively having gotten her mother's blessing before she left. "How did Titus react?"

"As I expected," Lexa replied. "He has invited us to share a meal with him."

"Why?" Clarke asked cautiously wondering if it was his way to spoil their plan.

"Perhaps to discuss the ceremony. Don't worry, I won't let him ruin our plans," Lexa assured her reading her body language accurately.

Clarke was pleased but had an idea that made her smile. "Would you mind if we also have a meal with my mom sometime before the ceremony?

Lexa agreed considering it a small sacrifice for her.

.

Lexa and Clarke arrived promptly at Titus' place to have a meal with him. "We can leave any time you like," Lexa offered.

Clarke smiled in appreciation but silently resolved to go through it all. She didn't want to offend Titus nor give him a reason to withdraw his support.

"Welcome," Titus greeted them at the door. He was unusually hospitable and that made Clarke relax a little. He led them to a table laden with a variety of food.

"Clarke and I wondered if you would explain the ceremony to us," Lexa began taking a seat.

Clarke took a seat next to her and waited for Titus to reply.

"That can wait," he replied instead offering them something to drink.

Clarke accepted it but then hesitated. "He's not going to poison me is he?" She asked Lexa silently.

"He will not harm you," Lexa assured her silently. But as a precaution, she switched their cups and studied Titus' demeanor for signs of deceit.

Titus took a sip from his cup and involuntarily retched. "Don't drink it!" he warned them both before picking up the bottle to check it. "I'm so sorry but this bottle has gone bad. Let me get another one." He left quickly to retrieve another bottle.

"He has a cellar here?" Clarke asked looking around wondering what else he had.

"He keeps the ceremonial wines," Lexa explained. "But I think he keeps more than that."

Clarke chuckled but put on a straight face when he returned with a new bottle. She saw him struggle to open it but Lexa gave him a hand by using her sword to uncork it.

"I can show you how to do that," Lexa said directly to Clarke knowing the feat impressed her.

"Titus may not have enough bottles," Clarke teased back.

"Am I such a terrible teacher?" Lexa asked feigning offense. "I don't remember any complaints last night."

Clarke was glad Titus had deferred adopting electric light as she felt the warmth spread across her cheeks.

Titus was oblivious to their private banter. He quickly poured a cup and tested it before serving one to each of them.

The meal went on without further hitches and the conversation was quite cordial until it was time to leave.

Clarke got up after Lexa but suddenly felt lightheaded and collapsed into her arms. She struggled to get back on her feet and apologized in a slurring manner.

"What have you done?" Lexa demanded angrily quickly concluding that he had tampered with her drink after all. She gently eased Clarke back to her seat before confronting Titus. "You swore never to harm her again."


	32. Chapter 32

Lexa watched Clarke sleep off the effect of the drug Titus had slipped into her drink. She wondered how much of it Clarke would remember and how angry she would be. She replayed the moments again in her mind as she waited for Clarke to wake up.

 _/flashback_

 _"_ _What have you done?" she demanded easing Clarke back to her seat._ _"_ _You swore never to harm her again."_ _She gripped her sword tightly mustering every ounce of her self-control to give Titus a chance to explain himself._

 _"_ _It won't harm her," Titus replied quickly prostrating himself to show her he meant no mischief._ _"_ _It will only make her speak the truth."_

 _"_ _Explain," she prompted giving him the benefit of the doubt._

 _Titus rose slightly and explained in detail what the drug's effect would be so he could ask Clarke questions and be sure that she was being truthful._

 _"_ _Clarke won't lie," she declared confidently._

 _"_ _Then you have nothing to worry about," he said._

 _Lexa seriously considered preventing him from interrogating Clarke in any state._

 _"_ _She will not remember anything," he added sensing that Lexa was about to forbid him to proceed._ _"_ _You must let me do this if you want me and the leaders of the twelve clans to accept your planned union."_

 _/flashback_

.

Clarke opened her eyes and quickly recognized the room but didn't remember how she got there. She turned to look around and found Lexa keeping watch over her. "What happened?" she asked struggling to sit up.

"What do you remember?" Lexa asked helping her up.

"We were having a meal with Titus," Clarke replied trying to dispel the haze in her mind.

"Try to remember; use your spirit to help you," Lexa suggested.

Clarke tried accessing memories from the chip as Lexa had been training her the past few days and started to remember how Titus insisted on asking her questions.

 _/flashback_

 _"_ _She will not remember anything," Titus told Lexa._ _He said something else that she didn't quite hear._

 _"_ _I'm sure she will remember," Lexa told him without elaborating further._ _"_ _But I'll let you ask her your questions because I'm confident she will say what I already know."_

 _Titus didn't hesitate and pulled a chair next to Clarke._ _"_ _What is your name?"_

 _"_ _Clarke Griffin."_

 _"_ _Where are you from?" he asked next._

 _"_ _From the Ark," Clarke answered pointing up._ _"_ _It was in the sky."_

 _Lexa smiled slightly because even in that state Clarke was being thorough._

 _"_ _Do you know who I am?" he asked continuing with his baseline questions._

 _"_ _Titus," Clarke replied._ _"_ _You look funny."_

 _Titus ignored her comment and pointed to Lexa._ _"_ _Who is she?"_

 _"_ _Lexa," Clarke replied opting to be familiar than formal._

 _"_ _Why do you want to marry her?" he continued._

 _"_ _Because I love her," Clarke replied naturally._

 _"_ _No other reason?" he tried to delve deeper into her motive._

 _"_ _What other reason is there?" Clarke asked obviously struggling to understand what Titus was driving at._

 _/flashback_

Lexa waited patiently while Clarke tried to recall what happened during Titus' interrogation of her. She heard a knock and went to see what her guard wanted. When she faced Clarke again she saw the hurt in her eyes.

"Why did you let him question me while I was vulnerable?" Clarke asked slightly disappointed with her.

"It was the only way he would believe what I already know," Lexa explained.

"Are you sure you weren't doubting me?" Clarke challenged angrily.

"You know I trust you completely," Lexa replied calmly. She expected the hurt and anger but hoped that Clarke would see past it quickly.

"I need some air," Clarke said walking away when she approached her.

"Your friends are here," Lexa announced. "They are waiting for you in your old room." She watched as Clarke leave with just a small nod to acknowledge she heard her.

.

Clarke met up with her friends and tried to hide her foul mood from them. "I'm so glad you're back." She gave Raven a quick hug but Octavia side-stepped her attempt to do the same with her.

"How are things here?" Raven asked wanting to know how the electricity was changing things in Polis.

"So far so good," Clarke replied. "The men who work the elevators are quite happy if you haven't noticed."

"We didn't," Octavia said settling on the ledge and setting the little jaguar next to her. "She won't let us take it; she was afraid we'd get stuck between floors."

Clarke turned to Raven wondering why the sudden anxiety there. She listened to Raven's concern about overtaxing the power grid. "But I thought it was enough and going to last a long time."

"That was until I considered distributing it to all the clans," Raven explained. "There's just not enough to go around."

Clarke was concerned given that the other clans will be expecting to receive power soon. "Can we find another source?"

"We may have found some already," Raven said laying out the map they took from the power plant. "But we need to bring them all online."

"Do you think Lexa will approve that?" Octavia asked playing tug with Raven's pet. "She doesn't need the other clans to vote for it, does she?"

Clarke's memory was triggered by the word and she no longer heard what her friends were saying.

 _/flashback_

 _"_ _There will be another vote of no confidence," Titus insisted._ _"_ _We need to know what she will do then."_

 _"_ _She will back me up," Lexa said without hesitation or doubt._ _"_ _But go ahead and ask her."_

 _Titus did just that and got the answer Lexa said he would from Clarke._ _"_ _Even if it means putting your people in danger?"_ _He saw Lexa frown at his modification._

 _"_ _Lexa will keep them safe," Clarke argued groggily._ _"_ _I know she will."_

 _"_ _What if there's a new commander?" he ventured further._

 _Clarke turned to look at Lexa and even in her state it was obvious she didn't want another commander._ _"_ _I won't let her die."_ _It was barely audible but Lexa heard it._

 _Lexa looked at Titus and realized the response was directly to her._

 _"_ _Would you ask the next commander to bond with you?" he persisted._

 _"_ _No, I only want Lexa," Clarke replied._

 _/flashback_

"Clarke, are you listening?" Octavia asked giving her a soft punch on the shoulder.

"I'll talk to her," Clarke replied. "But first show me the new plan." She wanted to be fully versed in it before presenting it to Lexa and the other ambassadors.

.

Lexa had just turned to face the ambassadors when Clarke burst into the room running late. She saw her haggard look and knew immediately something wasn't right.

Titus announced that the meeting was in session and the ambassadors almost instantly voiced their interest in availing electricity for their respective clans.

Lexa raised her hand to silence the room. "Clarke, will there be enough for all the clans?"

"How did you know?" Clarke asked Lexa directly marveling at how perceptive she really was.

Lexa merely signaled that she had the floor to address the audience.

Clarke explained what was needed to ensure all clans had electricity and half of them were willing to help while others claimed it was Skaikru's intent to encroach on their lands. After much discussion, Lexa stepped in and spoke up.

"We must work together to reap the benefits together; we own the lands and have the manpower to start up the power plants but Skaikru owns the knowledge on how. We have seen how together we are capable of achieving much more than if we work separately. Isn't it time we look beyond our differences and help one another?"

Clarke watched as the ambassadors who initially objected were now nodding in agreement. She listened as a plan was quickly formed to begin the project. She smiled at Lexa who clearly saw this coming.

"Is there anything else to discuss?" Lexa asked looking around the room before looking squarely at Clarke. When no one spoke up she got up and left the room without another word.

Clarke knew Lexa wasn't pleased but she wasn't ready yet. She waited while the others left before facing Titus. "We need to talk."

Titus acquiesced and stayed behind. He wasn't sure what to expect from her especially after Lexa informed him that she remembered what he had done.

"Did you get the answers you needed from me?" Clarke asked quite calmly which she saw unsettled Titus.

"Yes, Wanheda," he replied reverently realizing she deserved it.

"Good," she said. "Because if you ever do something like that again to me, there will be consequences."

"I only did it to protect Heda," he tried to explain his deed. "You would have done the same."

Clarke considered it a moment before speaking. "You're right, I would do anything to protect Lexa including getting rid of anyone who threatens her." She studied Titus closely before continuing. "I'm better as an ally than as an enemy."

.

Lexa returned from training with the nightbloods to clean up. She was washing her hands when Clarke joined her.

"What happened?" Clarke asked noticing the blood going down the drain.

"It's not my blood," Lexa assured her seeing her concern. "One of the nightbloods was wounded and I did what you showed me to stop the bleeding."

Clarke was concerned and started to head out to check on the wounded novitiate.

"Clarke, he will be alright," Lexa informed her wanting her to stay.

"I'll be right back," Clarke told her. "We'll talk then."

.

Clarke was quite impressed with Lexa's work and knew she cared more than she would admit. She was on her way back but before she got there she heard running up behind her.

"Catch it," Raven called out chasing after her pet who was making a dash through the hallway.

Clarke tried to but it shot past her reach. She watched as Lexa who had just come out into the hall grab it by its scruff and gently hand it back to Raven.

"I believe this is yours," Lexa said. "You need to train it quickly to return to you when you call for it."

"I don't know how to do that," Raven admitted shyly. Unlike machines, she had no idea how to handle her pet.

Lexa suggested she meet up with one of her guards who handle the horses for some tips.

"Do you think it can be tamed?" Clarke asked hopefully.

"Anything is possible," Lexa said as they watched Raven head off. "Are you ready to talk or are you going to run off again?"

Clarke knew there was no point dodging it any more so she agreed and entered their room for privacy. She waited for Lexa to enter.

"Clarke," Lexa began to speak but was stifled by Clarke's hand over her mouth.

"Let me go first," Clarke said. "I'm sorry for being angry with you. I know you wouldn't have let Titus proceed if it wasn't necessary."

Lexa was relieved that Clarke came to that conclusion on her own. She didn't want to influence her and feel manipulated by it.

"Did you think I would change my mind over this?" Clarke asked noting Lexa's relief.

Before Lexa could reply, she heard Titus announce his presence. She checked with Clarke quickly before allowing him in.

"Heda, Wanheda," he greeted them in turn. "I found this and thought it would help prepare you for the ceremony." He offered a journal to them.

"Did you write this?" Clarke asked when Lexa handed it to her.

"No, the Fleimkepa before me wrote it down," he revealed. "He wanted to preserve our ways by writing them down."

"Thank you," Lexa said for both of them. "Is that all?" She was eager to be alone with Clarke again.

"I also made this for you," he said handing a small scroll to Clarke. "I hope it is what you wanted."

Lexa looked curiously between the two but said nothing while Titus was there.

Clarke scanned it quickly and thanked him for it before he left.

"Does this mean you've forgiven him?" Lexa asked.

"Let's just say we've found a common ground," Clarke replied. "We need to work together to avoid any challenge to your leadership."

"Clarke, that can be dangerous for you," Lexa warned. "I promised your mother that no harm will befall you as my niron."

Clarke was surprised she used that term of endearment. "I know what it means," she told Lexa when the other began to explain the word. "I just didn't think you'd say it."

"Now that you're my intended, I think it's acceptable," Lexa declared. "At least in private conversations."

"If you say so," Clarke said quite amused before pulling Lexa in for a kiss. She was maneuvering Lexa toward the bed when they heard a commotion outside. "Not again."

"We need to talk to Clarke," Octavia announced. "It can't wait."

"Let us in Quark," Raven added. "Clarke won't be pleased with you if you get in our way." It was an idle threat but she figured it would gain them entry.

Once inside, they were less chatty seeing Lexa there.

"Is it true that you're not coming with us when we turn up the next nuclear power plant?" Raven ventured to ask. "We can't do it without you."

"I just heard it from one of the soldiers," Octavia revealed hoping it wasn't true.

"Should we tell them?" Clarke asked Lexa directly.

"I leave it to you," Lexa replied directly.

"We need to stay in Polis to plan a wedding," Clarke revealed to her friends.

"Who's getting married?" Octavia asked curiously.

"We are," Lexa and Clarke replied simultaneously.

"To whom?" Raven asked trying to recall who they might be interested in marrying.

.

Lexa picked up a staff and started to train with it. She sensed someone behind her and used it to attack the intruder.

"I just thought you could use a sparring partner," Octavia said dodging the first strike but not the second taking a hit to her knee. "Ouch!" She rubbed the area gently.

"Did Clarke send you?" Lexa asked handing her a staff. She made an excuse to go training after the awkward silence after they announced their plan to marry to Raven and Octavia.

"No, she probably thinks I went to find Indra to share the news," Octavia replied.

.

Clarke watched as Raven paced trying to process what she just learned from her and Lexa.

"Does Abby know?" Raven finally asked.

"Yes, I told her before you two arrived," Clarke confirmed.

"And she's ok with it?" Raven asked further. "You're not just doing this because we're in danger from the Grounders are you?"

"I have her blessing," Clarke revealed. "And I'm actually doing it for me and no one else."

.

Lexa gave Octavia a true workout that allowed her to vent her annoyance at what had occurred after their limited announcement.

Octavia felt her whole body was sore but felt she rightly deserved it knowing what had upset Lexa. "Do you feel better?"

Lexa nodded slightly to confirm she was.

"So you and Clarke are getting married," Octavia repeated still a little in disbelief.

"Is that not acceptable to your people?" Lexa asked trying to gauge Skaikru's collective reaction from her.

"It's not that; I was just surprised because I thought commanders never married," Octavia said. "At least that's what Indra told me."

"Clarke convinced me it is time to change some of our ways," Lexa noted.

"She's pretty good at that," Octavia joked.

.

Clarke wished Raven would stop pacing as it was making it difficult to see her eye to eye and her pet was getting trampled trying to stay near her.

"But you were in love with Finn," Raven said still in disbelief.

"And I always will," Clarke admitted. "But the dead are gone."

"Is that you or Lexa speaking?" Raven asked.

"She's right you know; we can't dwell in the past," Clarke noted.

"I can't seem to move on," Raven said sadly.

"Well, let's start with this," Clarke suggested picking up the little animal that was rubbing against their legs.

.

Lexa returned and found Clarke curled up on the couch drawing. She strode across towards her and sat beside her.

Clarke briefly looked up trying to show her displeasure by not greeting her.

"Where is Raven?" Lexa ventured to ask trying to draw Clarke out of her bad mood.

"She went back to her room," Clarke replied setting her drawing aside. "Why did you leave me alone?"

"I had to before I did something that would upset you or scare your friends," Lexa confessed.

"Is that what you'll do when Titus makes the announcement?" Clarke asked warily.

"My people will express their acceptance or objection quickly unlike your friends who are silent," Lexa noted standing up abruptly remembering her annoyance with them.

Clarke guessed that Lexa didn't like her friends' silent response and got her confirmation. She stood up and tried to smooth things over by wrapping Lexa in her arms. "Unlike your people, mine don't know you're my weakness. Besides, silence doesn't mean objection."

They both heard a knock at the door before Titus announced himself.

"Enter," Lexa replied and took a step away from her embrace.

"The tatmeika is here," he informed them. "When would you like to begin?"

Lexa turned to Clarke giving her the say in the matter.

"The sooner the better," Clarke replied.

.

Clarke wanted to surprise Lexa by waking up before she did and was quite pleased when she succeeded. "Good morning," she greeted sweetly when Lexa eventually opened her eyes.

Lexa looked around wondering what was going on. "Is something the matter?" she asked when she saw nothing out of place.

"Have you forgotten what today is?" Clarke asked showing slight irritation before relaxing when she saw Lexa smile.

"The first step of the rest of our lives," Lexa noted. "Are you sure?"

"I am," Clarke said with conviction. "Nothing; not getting a mark, not Titus, not your other ambassadors, not my friends; nothing would make me change my mind."

"Should I be worried that you handled my other ambassadors so well?" Lexa asked noting that after the announcement there was only perfunctory objections but nothing else.

"I merely reminded them of what you said about working together," Clarke replied. "I explained to them what we could achieve if we were given a chance through Titus."

Lexa was quite pleased that Clarke took the initiative. She knew Clarke's gift of making her point but now more than ever. "Should I be worried that you and Titus are now friends?"

"Titus and I will never be friends because we see things so differently," Clarke said. "But when it comes to you, I think we can find a way to work together just as we hope our people can."

"No better example than you two," Lexa said kissing Clarke's bare shoulder before getting up. "It's time I get ready."

"You mean we don't you?" Clarke asked.

"You already are," Lexa teased catching the pillow launched at her.

"Do I at least get a meal before he gets here?" Clarke asked while Lexa continued to prepare for the day.

"Of course you do," Lexa replied heading to the door expecting a tray of food ready and sure enough there it was. "And she won't come until I send for her."

"I thought the tatmeika was a man," Clarke supposed trying to recall things she had heard about him.

"The previous one was," Lexa confirmed. "He has passed it on to his daughter."

"Is she any good?" Clarke asked worried about the new tatmeika's inexperience.

"I've seen some of her work and think she will live up to my expectations," Lexa assured her setting down the tray between them. She watched as Clarke devoured her portion as if it was her last meal.

"The sooner we're done here, the sooner she can get started," Clarke explained seeing Lexa's questioning look.


	33. Chapter 33

Lexa stayed near Clarke while she got her mark. To distract her from the pain she read directly to her from the journal Titus has given them particularly about the bonding ceremony.

"How is it coming along?" Clarke asked Lexa directly interrupting her momentarily.

"She has only gotten the outline done," Lexa replied looking over her back from her vantage point. "Are you in pain?"

"No," Clarke fibbed deciding she would bear it. "I just don't want to miss sending Raven and Octavia off on their new mission."

"I'm sure they won't mind if you miss it," Lexa suggested. "I can do it for you."

"I'd like to since I'm not going with them," Clarke insisted.

Lexa chose not to argue but continued to read for Clarke until the tatmeika was done. She thanked her for her exquisite work before turning back to Clarke. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Clarke admitted trying to rollover but was restrained by Lexa.

"You should get up," Lexa reminded her handing her a loose fitting tunic.

Clarke was glad Lexa was well-prepared and hoped her back would heal quickly in time for their ceremony.

.

Clarke looked at her lower back through the mirror and wondered how much longer it would take to heal completely because she was getting tired of sleeping on her belly.

"It's healing nicely," Lexa commented running her fingers softly across.

"I still can't believe it has this quickly," Clarke noted. "I had scratches that took longer than this."

"Perhaps your spirit has something to do with it," Lexa supposed.

"You could be right," Clarke agreed comparing her recovery time since she got the chip implanted.

"Do you think you feel well enough to see the novitiates?" Lexa inquired. "They've been asking for you; they would like to continue their lessons with you."

Clarke was quite pleased that they were showing interest and that Lexa had allowed her to teach them what she knew. "I'll go see them today." She wondered how long she could sneak some drawing lessons this time.

"If you need any supplies, let me know," Lexa said with a knowing smile. "Just try not to let Titus catch you." She gave Clarke a quick kiss before heading out.

.

Lexa stood by her throne and watched as the room was being transformed for the ceremony. She would've preferred it the way it was before but Titus insisted it needed to be changed to follow the description in the journal.

"Heda, we have it under control," Titus told her.

"I still don't know how you talked Clarke into this," she noted. She remembered how the two banded together to convince her to agree.

"She sees the value of some of our traditions," he replied. "This is an important event that should be upheld."

Lexa wondered how much more the two agreed on hoping that it wasn't going to be a lot because she wanted Clarke just the way she was before. She decided she was going to have a talk with her about it.

"We'll have it restored before you return," he assured her. "Are you sure it's necessary to leave Polis at such a critical time? What if something goes wrong?"

"Clarke is following our traditions," she reminded him. "It's only fair that I follow at least one of hers."

"Is there no other that won't require your absence?" he inquired hoping for something else. "Why did Clarke have to choose that particular one?"

"Who said she chose it?" she asked him revealing it was hers. "Clarke doesn't know and I'd like to keep it that way." She gave him a stern look to reiterate her wish before leaving him to his work.

.

Lexa was heading to find Clarke when she sensed someone following her. She prepared to react as she faced whoever it was behind her. She threw her knife to give the other a warning.

Undaunted, the other person pulled the knife lodged at a nearby wall. "You missed."

"Did I?" Lexa challenged watching the other suddenly notice the sting of the scratch she had inflicted. "Does Titus know you're here?"

"Not yet but soon enough."

"What are you doing here?" Lexa asked.

"Making sure you haven't forgotten our plan," the other reminded her handing the knife back to her.

"I haven't," Lexa assured her accepting the knife. "What makes you think I have?" She hadn't expected the visit.

"You've been making quite a bit of changes lately and I've heard they're mostly because of Wanheda."

"You disapprove?" Lexa asked studying her visitor's body language.

"I just want to make sure that you haven't lost perspective."

"And what would you do if you think I did," Lexa wondered preparing for a challenge.

.

Clarke was heading back to find Lexa after her lessons with the novitiates when she heard a commotion in one of the hallways. Noting the absence of guards, she figured that Lexa wasn't at that floor but was curious and went to investigate it anyway. To her surprise she found Lexa fighting with another about the same size as her. She instinctively reached for her gun but realized she hadn't strapped it on. She quickly looked and found something to use as a weapon to help defend Lexa.

"No," Lexa quickly stopped her from joining the fray. "I'm in no danger." She saw the confused look on Clarke's face.

"It doesn't look like it," Clarke disputed seeing her attacker charge.

"Stop!" Lexa ordered her opponent who promptly did noticing Clarke belatedly.

Clarke waited uncomfortably as the stranger sized her up. She decided she would do the same and that was when she noticed the scratch Lexa caused exposing the tell-tale sign of a nightblood. She realized who it was before her.

"This is Luna, leader of the Boat People," Lexa did the introduction.

"And you must be Wanheda," Luna said recognizing who the blonde was.

"Why is she here?" Clarke asked silently. She saw Lexa give Luna a subtle order to leave them and waited until she was out of earshot.

"Leaders of the clans will be coming for the ceremony; she's the first to arrive," Lexa explained.

"But none of them is a threat to you like she is," Clarke pointed out.

"She's not a threat," Lexa told her. "You can trust her."

"I can't," Clarke replied refusing to budge.

"Then trust me that she's not here to harm either one of us," Lexa said watching Clarke struggle to accept and agree to her request. "Don't you trust me?"

"I do trust you," Clarke replied without hesitation. "I'll try but it won't be easy for me to trust her after what I just saw." She still had her reservations but was willing to give it a shot.

Lexa appreciated Clarke's effort and hoped it was enough to keep the peace.

.

Clarke stood and watched from a short distance while Lexa and Luna talked. She wished the guards were closer in case of trouble but knew Lexa had asked for privacy. She heard footsteps approaching from behind her and determined who it was from his gait. "Did you know she was coming?"

"No," Titus replied standing beside her. "She hasn't step foot in Polis since their conclave. I can still have her arrested."

"No, that isn't necessary," she opposed firmly.

"But she is a threat to Lexa," he insisted hoping that would stir her protectiveness. He was counting on her support on this matter.

"How many times have you said that about me?" She saw Titus confirm her suspicion when he tensed up. "Perhaps Lexa is right about her."

Titus decided not to press her and made his excuse to leave to continue overseeing the preparations for the ceremony.

.

Lexa waited while Luna considered her offer. She hoped that it would appeal to her.

"I don't think that is a good idea," Luna said warily. "Titus will not allow it."

"He will follow my order," Lexa assured her. She could tell Luna was close to agreeing.

"What about Wanheda?" Luna hesitated turning to look at Clarke waiting nearby.

"She will support me," Lexa said confidently.

"She must truly love you," Luna concluded. "I'm glad for you."

Lexa appreciated Luna's approval and they shared a smile that spoke volumes between them.

.

Clarke noticed the smile Lexa shared with Luna as they walked back towards her. She wondered what it meant but didn't pry.

Lexa gave Luna a quick nod as the latter headed back to the tower. "I've asked her to stay with the novitiates while she's here in Polis." She waited for Clarke to react or object and when none was forthcoming she thanked her for her support.

"I told you I would try," Clarke reminded her.

Lexa nodded in acknowledgement. "Now we should get ready."

"For what?" Clarke wondered following her back to the tower.

"Your mother will be here soon," Lexa said watching her bewildered look. "We invited her to have a meal with us."

"That's today?" Clarke asked in surprise then realized she had forgotten. "I have to get ready." She hurried back leaving Lexa behind watching in amusement.

.

Lexa welcomed Abby and waited with her for Clarke. She could tell that Abby was anxious about something so she asked if she could allay it for her.

"Is it true that there's another nightblood?" Abby began tentatively. "Are you and Clarke in danger?"

"You've been speaking with Titus," Lexa guessed correctly.

"We rode up the elevator together," Abby confirmed. "Should I be worried?" She was obviously concerned.

"Clarke is in no danger," Lexa assured her hoping that was enough for her.

"But her safety depends on you being the commander," Abby pointed out.

"Clarke will be safe even if I'm no longer the commander," Lexa reiterated giving her a look that ended further questions from her. It was just in time before Clarke arrived.

"Mom," Clarke greeted Abby looking at Lexa quickly sensing the tension between them. "I'm glad you could come."

"Thank you for inviting me," Abby said looking her over quickly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine mom," Clarke assured her. "I told you she'd notice." She spoke directly to Lexa.

"I don't see why you should keep it from her," Lexa replied directly. "She'll see it eventually."

"I'd rather have a quiet evening," Clarke reasoned. "Telling her now will make her question and want to check on it."

Lexa preferred the same thing so went along with Clarke's plan. She led them to the table prepared for them. She and Clarke noted Abby was quite pleased and shared a satisfied smile between them.

.

Clarke gave Lexa a hug after a successful evening with her mom. "Thank you," she whispered showing her appreciation for her hospitality.

"Your mom didn't ask you to stay with her tonight?" Lexa asked expecting her to not return after she walked her mom to her room.

Clarke chuckled and pulled away to look at Lexa. "I think this is her way of showing us that she approves."

Lexa was glad but was also a little apprehensive. She wasn't sure how to tell Clarke.

"What's the matter?" Clarke asked sensing her unease.

"Tomorrow is the big hunt," Lexa began to explain. "I need to rest."

Clarke gave Lexa a look that said more than words. "Good night commander." She turned to leave her alone.

Lexa reached and caught her by the waist. "What I need is for you to not overthink it; I'll be safe," she assured her.

"You better be," Clarke said definitively. "No injuries."

"No injuries," Lexa promised.

.

Clarke watched as Lexa prepared for the hunt. She stood next to Quark and heard him sigh. "You can go with them if you like."

Quark hesitated not wanting to abandon his duty of protecting her.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "You can tell Lexa that I ordered you to join the hunt." She noted how pleased he looked and with a nod moved to get his own horse.

.

Lexa saw Quark join the men prepare and turned to Clarke with a concerned look.

"He wants to be part of it," Clarke explained. "Besides, I'm not going anywhere so I'll be safe."

"You better be; no injuries," Lexa returned in kind with a smile.

"No injuries," Clarke agreed.

.

Clarke went to see her mother after the hunting party left Polis. She didn't feel like waiting for Lexa's return alone.

"Where are they going?" Abby asked having seen the riders leave the city.

"They've gone hunting," Clarke replied. "It's for the feast following our wedding."

Abby observed Clarke a moment before asking what was bothering her.

Clarke wanted to deny it but thought better and explained her concern about Luna's presence.

"Lexa told me that you were safe from her," Abby said revealing she was well aware of the potential threat Luna posed.

"Yes, she keeps saying that but I'm not sure why," Clarke said with obvious doubt.

"Have you asked her?" Abby asked.

"I did but she hasn't said much about it," Clarke revealed.

Abby gave Clarke's hand a sympathetic squeeze. "Maybe you need to ask Luna instead. See for yourself why Lexa trusts her so much."

Clarke liked the idea and after a quick hug for Abby set off to find Luna. Sure enough she found Luna in the dormitory looking over some papers.

"Wanheda," Luna acknowledged her without looking up. "These are good." She set down some of the drawings before turning to her.

"The novitiates are quite talented," Clarke declared not wanting to take credit for their work.

"Only because you are a good teacher," Luna remarked. "But that is not why you are here."

"We need to talk," Clarke agreed seeing the same astuteness in her as with Lexa. "I need to know that I can trust you and that you would never harm Lexa."

Luna studied Clarke for a moment before replying. "You truly care for her." She stated it with a tenderness that Clarke found genuine.

"I would do anything for her," Clarke confirmed.

"Including talking to me," Luna determined. "She doesn't know, does she?"

"She trusts you," Clarke revealed knowing she already knew that. "But you still have to earn mine. I need to be sure you'll not turn into a threat like Ontari."

"How much did Lexa tell you about our conclave?" Luna asked instead. She quickly judged from Clarke's look that it was not much. "Lexa did what none of us could; she allowed me and Ontari to live."

Clarke already knew that and didn't find it compelling to trust her.

"She didn't kill me even when I lost my will to live after my brother died in my arms," Luna continued sadly.

"Who killed him?" Clarke asked softly already drawing her conclusion before Luna revealed it was her.

"I couldn't do what Lexa could," Luna said trying to remain calm. "I asked her to kill me after that; instead she gave me a reason to live and away from the violence."

Clarke already guessed that but now realized it was thanks to Lexa not the chip that they got to where they were at. "Then why were you fighting with her?"

"To be sure she hasn't changed," Luna explained. They both agreed silently that Lexa was doing what needed to be done.

.

Lexa returned from the hunt and found Clarke waiting for her. "Where is your mother?"

"She went back to Arkadia a few hours ago," Clarke revealed helping Lexa get undressed. "I drew you a bath."

"I have no injuries," Lexa said knowing the true reason for her help. "You can take a closer look while I bathe." She gave her an inviting look that got the desired effect.

"How was the hunt?" Clarke asked following her into the other room.

"We caught more than enough for the feast," Lexa declared proudly lowering herself into the bathtub. "How was your day with your mother?"

"It was good but trying to keep her and Titus from arguing each point about the ceremony was a challenge," Clarke said sitting on the edge of the tub. She skimmed her fingers on the top of water involuntarily.

"Would you like to join me?" Lexa invited her. "Clarke?" She noticed Clarke was distracted.

"I need to tell you something," Clarke began. "I went to talk to Luna." She watched Lexa's reaction carefully looking for any sign of anger.

Lexa abruptly got out and donned fresh clothes. She remained silent as she moved around Clarke to leave.

"Please say something; please tell me you're not angry," Clarke entreated reaching for her.

"I'm not angry," Lexa said quietly turning to face her. "I'm disappointed that you don't trust me like I trust you."

.

Lexa found Luna listening to the novitiates regale her with tales of their experiences of the hunt. She saw them turn to her and with a nod, she dismissed them all.

"Do you remember the first time we went on a hunt?" Luna asked when they were alone in the common room.

Lexa smiled remembering it well and fondly. "If they are like us, they'll be talking about it for days."

"What brings you here?" Luna asked knowing she would much prefer to spend time with Clarke.

"Clarke told me she talked to you," Lexa said.

"She is inquisitive," Luna confirmed. "I like that about her." She noted her friend's foul mood and prompted her to unload.

"Too inquisitive," Lexa said sadly. "Why can't she just trust me?"

"Trust, but verify; you taught me that," Luna reminded her. "I think it shows how much she cares about you." She saw Clarke approach and signaled Lexa not knowing she already knew. She passed and gave Clarke an encouraging nod.

"I'm sorry," Clarke began talking to Lexa's back. "I just had to be sure she won't turn out to be a threat to you."

Lexa turned and looked at the quite contrite blonde before her. "Must you really know everything?" It was a rhetorical question that led to a night-long conversation.

.

Clarke studied her reflection as she was fitted for her ceremonial dress. She wanted to look her best and tolerated all the adjustments being made.

"Whoa, that's revealing," Octavia noted as she entered the room. "When did you get that?" She saw the mark prominently showing through the backless dress.

"What are you doing here?" Clarke asked surprised her friend was there instead of on the mission she was sent to. "Where's Raven?"

"She is giving Lexa an update," Octavia revealed. "We both came back to attend the ceremony; we wouldn't miss it for the world."

Clarke remembered the guest list and knew they weren't on it. She realized Lexa was planning to surprise her by recalling them from their work.

"So, are you ready?" Octavia asked watching as she got back into her usual clothes.

Clarke nodded confidently knowing it was the right decision especially after her heart-to-heart talk with Lexa. "I just wished all of our friends could be here." She knew Octavia understood what she meant.

.

Lexa waited with Kane while someone fetched Bellamy from patrol duty. She didn't mean to but did overhear Clarke's wish so there she was trying to deliver. She saw Bellamy look apprehensively between her and Kane when he arrived.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Kane said excusing himself but stopped when Lexa raised her hand to detain him.

"I'm temporarily lifting your kill order," Lexa declared without delay. "It's Clarke's wish that you be there for the ceremony." Having said that, she gave Kane a quick nod and started to leave.

"How do I know it's not a trap?" Bellamy asked boldly.

"Because you have my word," Lexa said. "It doesn't matter to me whether you come or not but it does to Clarke. The choice is yours."

.

Clarke wondered why Lexa had chosen to travel so close to their wedding. She walked over to Lexa's favorite spot and started to draw. She lost track of time doing that.

"That's a good likeness of Heda," a voice noted.

Clarke turned and found Niylah looking down at her and her pad. "Niylah, what are you doing here?"

"Helping with the feast by supplying what is needed," Niylah replied with a smile. "We've never had a commander marry before you know."

Clarke tried to think up an explanation that wouldn't hurt the other woman.

"It is clear you were meant to be with Heda," Niylah said saving her the effort.

Clarke gave her an appreciative hug before seeing Quark arrive.

"She's back Wanheda," he announced realizing late he could be interrupting.

Clarke quickly gave Niylah one last hug before heading to meet Lexa. "What took you so long?" She couldn't help but ask when she saw her in their room.

"I wasn't gone that long for you to miss me," Lexa teased. "Or did you think I wouldn't get back in time?"

"Well if my mom has her way then yes," Clarke confirmed. "She wants us to not see each other until the ceremony tomorrow. It's a tradition she wants me to follow."

Lexa thought it an odd ritual but didn't argue the point. She gave Clarke a quick kiss before sending her off when she saw Titus lead her guards in carrying a chest.

Clarke returned to her side and guessed from whom it came from. She braced herself for another unknown person hidden inside.

"King Roan sends this as a gift to you," Titus announced addressing Lexa. He motioned for it to be opened and sure enough out popped a disoriented woman who bore a resemblance to someone he hadn't expected to see again.

Clarke looked and took a moment to realize who she looked like and turned to see Lexa's reaction.

Lexa approached cautiously and gently untied her. She asked the woman a few questions that she knew Clarke wouldn't hear. She motioned to her guard but the woman hesitated to go with him. "You are free." She turned and saw both Clarke and Titus give her identical questioning looks.

"What just happened?" Clarke wondered wanting answers quickly.

"Leave us," Lexa ordered everyone other than Clarke. She didn't have to wait long until they were alone.

"Where is she going?" Clarke asked.

"Back to her people," Lexa replied watching her closely. "She's not a threat. I am yours as you are mine."

Clarke was reassured and gave Lexa a tight hug before leaving. She was heading towards her old room when she decided to take a detour. She knocked on the door and waited.

"Wanheda, this is a surprise!"

"We need to talk," she declared entering the room before being invited. "What were you trying to do sending someone who looked like Costia?"

"I meant no harm," Roan declared. "I gave her to you so no one else could use her against you."

Clarke wanted to believe him but knew he was his mother's son. "Try something like that again and I'll have you banished permanently." She made sure her message was clear before leaving.


	34. Chapter 34

Lexa was getting ready when someone knocked. She heard Octavia and allowed her in.

"Clarke sent me to help you get ready for the ceremony," Octavia explained her presence.

"You mean she wanted to make sure I'd be there," Lexa said letting her help. She took her silence as confirmation. "Have you considered officially joining Trikru? That way you can become Indra's successor."

Octavia was speechless since she had hoped but didn't expect it.

"We can discuss the details when I return," Lexa said seeing her delight at the possibility.

"Where are you going?" Octavia asked curiously. "Shouldn't you be with Clarke after the ceremony?"

Lexa smiled slightly and let her in on a secret. "I've decided to take your suggestion to take Clarke on a honeymoon."

.

Clarke was getting impatient as her attendants braided her hair but knew it was necessary. When they were done and left she jumped to her feet to head to join Lexa for the ceremony but was surprised to find Bellamy at her door. "Bellamy, what are you doing here?"

"Lexa invited me," he replied looking warily at Quark who blocked his way.

Quark felt Clarke tap his shoulder signaling him to relax and let Bellamy in.

"When did she invite you?" she asked trying to determine when and how.

"That doesn't matter right now," he said urgently. "We need to leave now."

Clarke was confused after just being glad to learn he was there. "Why?"

"You don't have to do this," he said. "They need us more than we need them. You don't have to marry her to keep us safe."

.

Lexa waited for Clarke to arrive with their combined people as witnesses to their bonding. She could tell they were getting antsy but refused to rush her as Titus suggested in a whisper.

"She's taking too long," he insisted. "At least send one of your guards to check on her."

"She can take as long as she needs," she countered. She chose not to use her ability to locate or communicate to her intended. She wanted Clarke to come on her own accord.

"But we're behind schedule," he persisted.

Lexa didn't let him sway her although visually scanning the room she wondered if her delay had anything to do with Bellamy who was visibly absent but reportedly in Polis. She saw Octavia leave the room and decided that was enough to move things along.

.

Clarke started to regain consciousness and felt herself being carried by someone. In her groggy state, she heard Octavia call out.

"Have you gone mad?" Octavia asked Bellamy who clearly had incapacitated both Quark and Clarke.

"I'm doing this for her own good," he explained. "I need your help to get her out of here."

"She's going to kill you if you do this," she warned blocking his path.

"I'm not afraid of Lexa," he said with bravado.

"I wasn't talking about Lexa," she countered. "Clarke isn't going to forgive you for this and you know it."

"Please put me down Bellamy," Clarke demanded wiggling out of his arms.

"Are you alright?" Octavia asked helping steady her on her feet.

"Where's Lexa?" Clarke asked trying to determine how late she was.

"Still waiting for you," Octavia revealed. "At least the last time I saw her."

"I have to go," Clarke announced checking on Quark and deciding she couldn't wait for him to wake up.

"Clarke," Bellamy tried to detain her again. "You shouldn't go through with this."

Clarke sighed. "I'm sorry Bellamy but I do want to do this; I hope someday you'll understand and accept it." She didn't let him delay her any longer.

"You probably should go before he wakes up," Octavia said before catching up to Clarke.

.

Lexa and all assembled turned when the door opened only to see Octavia return.

"It's just me," Octavia announced quickly moving to rejoin her group.

"Is everything alright?" Abby asked with concern. Before she could ask more the door reopened and Clarke walked through.

Clarke saw her teary-eyed mom and gave her a quick hug. "It's all good mom."

Abby lost it then and almost didn't let go until Marcus intervened. "It's time," he reminded her.

"Be happy," Abby wished Clarke before letting go.

Clarke approached and stood next to Lexa. "I'm sorry I'm late," she told her directly.

"All that matters is that you're here," Lexa replied directly before giving Titus a subtle nod to begin the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to witness the bonding of Clarke kom Skaikru, legendary Wanheda, ambassador of Skaikru," Titus announced loudly. He paused when Clarke interrupted him.

"Titus, can we please get on with it?" Clarke whispered softly.

Titus turned to Lexa in obvious objection but got a look of agreement instead. "To Lexa kom Trikru, Commander of the Blood, leader of the thirteen clans …" He was relishing the pronouncement until he saw the impatient looks of both women before him so then gave a more condensed version instead.

"How much longer before we are bound?" Clarke asked directly.

"Soon," Lexa replied silently watching as Titus turned to get the cord that would bind their hands as they exchanged their vows.

Titus offered the cord to both of them and with joined hands, they held on to its center. "You may now exchange your vows."

"I bind myself to you, Lexa kom Trikru," Clarke began wrapping her end of the cord around their joined hands and wrists. "I offer my love, take it. I share my knowledge, use it. I give my hand, hold it and lead me to our future."

"I bind myself to you, Clarke Griffin," Lexa said wrapping her end as well. Unlike Clarke though, she opted to give a private vow to Clarke and a public one to their audience. She repeated a vow she made the night Clarke bowed to her privately while speaking of commitment, protection and building the future publicly. She then turned to Titus to tie the cord's ends to complete the ceremony.

"May this bond last as long as you both shall live," Titus announced and gave a quick bow before stepping away.

Clarke turned to Lexa in disbelief and joy. "So this really happened; we're really bonded." She knew how close she was to missing it.

"Yes," Lexa replied with a slight smile pulling her close pinning their still tied hands behind her. She leaned in to claim her mouth for their first kiss as a married couple. With her free hand, she began to move lower Clarke's back.

"What is she doing?" Abby asked louder than she thought she was doing.

"She is looking for the ribbon," Lincoln replied shyly before those around them started to chant the word "Heda."

Lexa intensified both her search and kissing that made Clarke swoon. The crowd went wild when she straightened up and revealed a blue ribbon for all to see. She gave Clarke a triumphant smile while the blonde looped the ribbon with her free hand on her.

In the shadows, a dark hand held a weapon and aimed it at Lexa then Clarke before returning to Lexa. It seemed unsure which target to fire at. The hand shook uncontrollably before withdrawing.

Clarke felt an inexplicable shiver go through her that made her stiffen.

Lexa noticed and turned to her. "What's the matter?"

Clarke dismissed it refocusing on them but saw that Lexa wanted an answer. "I just felt a little cold."

Lexa took that as a good excuse to take her back to their room to rest until the feast got underway.

.

Clarke joined Lexa on the dais after changing out of her revealing clothes. She sat next to Lexa behind a low table laden with food and looked out at the guests. "Anyone else joining us?" She looked around and quickly realized it was just setup for them.

"Not tonight," Lexa said fluffing some cushions around them. "Is there anyone you would like up here?"

Clarke decided it was preferable to keep it to themselves so they could cuddle while the different clans at their respective tables feasted. She picked up a few items and identified each of the clans across them. She noticed her friends and acknowledged them with a nod. "How long do we have to stay?" She was already yearning to be alone with Lexa.

"We have to stay until the very end," Lexa informed her. "Don't you remember what I read from the journal about the ceremony? I'm expected to give a speech at the end."

Clarke looked at their guests and saw how much liquor they were consuming. She concluded they really wouldn't notice if they slipped away early. Then she heard them pounding their cups on the tables which got louder as others joined in. "What's going on?"

Lexa pulled Clarke close to give her a kiss until the pounding subsided. "That's what they are wanting from us."

Clarke saw her mom arrive and could sense her concern. "Hopefully that's all they expect."

Lexa smiled knowing what she meant. "Have you seen Bellamy?" She was curious why he was nowhere in sight.

"Yes, I did," Clarke confirmed. "Thanks for letting him come." She knew it wasn't easy for Lexa but did it anyway for her.

Lexa was glad but wondered why he had chosen to hide. "He still doubts he is safe." It was more a statement than a question.

"He came and said what he needed to say," Clarke assured her. For once she was glad for the pounding of cups and she didn't mind seeing her friends started it. She gave Lexa a quick tug and kissed her.

.

Lexa graciously acknowledged each of the clan's gift that was presented to them after the meal. She was quite glad that her people not only accepted but embraced the bond she had just made that day.

"What's next?" Clarke asked eagerly.

"The dance but we can just watch," Lexa replied not wanting her to feel obligated to join in.

"Finally," Clarke muttered before standing up and offering her hand. She tilted her head towards the area that was cleared for it.

"You don't have to do this," Lexa noted following nonetheless.

"And disappoint everyone," Clarke said confidently. "I was listening to some of what you were reading to me."

Lexa was intrigued then turned to find her novitiates excitedly gesturing last-minute moves until they noticed her watching them and stopped. "The last time we danced you fell." She thought to remind her in jest.

"I have had some practice," Clarke claimed looking at the novitiates. "But I'm still counting on you to catch me if I do fall."

The couple moved as one as they danced and mesmerized not only each other with their gracefulness but the on-lookers as well.

"Should I worry that you didn't fall for me this time?" Lexa teased when they finished before noticing her novitiates join them.

"Just because I didn't physically doesn't mean I didn't," Clarke teased back giving her a quick kiss before starting another dance. She saw Octavia pull Lincoln from the corner of her eye to join them.

Lexa eventually stepped aside and let her novitiates take turns dancing with Clarke. She later found herself standing beside Roan on the sideline.

"She has certainly accepted our ways," he noted.

"It goes both ways," she replied. "We have also adopted Skaikru's ways. We just need to combine the good from both and build a peaceful future."

"Hopefully it's still peaceful when you return," he joked but backtracked when he saw Lexa's stern look. "I mean it will be."

"I'm counting on you to help Aden keep order," she commanded clearly. "It will be a better gift than what you already sent."

Roan looked very contrite. "I meant no harm sending her to you; I did that to make sure no one else could use her to torment you."

"Clarke doesn't see it that way," she pointed out.

"Yes, she's made that point clear," he admitted but didn't explain further when Lexa turned with a questioning look.

Lexa turned to see Luna join them. "Did you help with that?" She watched as Clarke danced flawlessly.

"They decided this on their own," Luna revealed. "Clarke is not only a good teacher but a good student as well."

Lexa was pleased and decided it was time to dance with her for the rest of the night. "Perhaps you two would join us."

Luna and Roan exchanged awkward looks as Lexa went to reclaim Clarke from the novitiates.

.

Clarke stirred awake and found herself alone in bed. She groaned wondering how Lexa could be up already when they partied well into the wee hours. She could barely even remember the speech Lexa gave to close out the feast but was glad she didn't have to give one, too.

"Good morning," Lexa greeted her and kissed her forehead. "We should get going."

"Where?" Clarke asked rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as best she could. She saw that Lexa was in full riding gear.

"It's a surprise," Lexa said handing her some clothes to change into. "Now hurry so we'll be there before nightfall." She even began to help her get dressed to get on their way sooner.

"Wait, let me at least say goodbye to my mom first," Clarke said when they were heading out the door. She quickly turned a corner and noticed that the guards were visibly missing so she rushed in before Lexa could stop her. "Mom!"

Lexa heard and followed her in to find Abby in bed with Marcus rushing to get dressed. She felt a nudge from Clarke and turned away to give them privacy.

"Clarke, I can explain," Abby began coming around to face her.

"I'd like to speak with my mom alone," Clarke declared effectively dismissing Lexa and Marcus from the room.

.

Lexa stood just outside the room watching Marcus put on his boots. She wasn't surprised and wondered about Clarke's reaction.

"That was a lovely ceremony," he noted trying to start small talk with Lexa.

"Where are the guards?" she asked thinking they could've prevented such an awkward situation.

"Abby convinced them that we were in no danger," he explained their absence.

Lexa studied him for a moment before continuing. "Can you tell me what your intentions are for Abby?"

"I would marry her if she would have me," he replied. "I just hope I haven't ruined my chances." He wondered what Clarke and Abby were talking about when the door opened.

Clarke took a look at Marcus before turning to Lexa. "We should go."

Lexa could tell Clarke wasn't pleased with what she discovered and would prefer to be far away. She followed after saying her own goodbye to Abby and Marcus.

.

Clarke brooded most of the way to their destination and she appreciated that Lexa gave her room to do so.

"We're here," Lexa announced and hoped the ride had improved Clarke's mood.

Clarke looked around and found that they were surrounded by forest as far as the eye can see even with the fading light. "We're sleeping on the ground?" She was clearly disappointed.

"We've done it before," Lexa reminded her with a hidden smile dismounting from her horse.

"Under different circumstances," Clarke pointed out trying to see the positive in Lexa's surprise.

"You wanted us to be alone and undisturbed," Lexa said coaxing her to dismount. "There's no one for miles except for our guards."

Clarke looked around and noticed that they were nowhere in sight which meant Lexa had given them including Quark prior orders to stay hidden. "They could've kept people away in Polis."

"Then you would've missed this," Lexa revealed looking up towards the canopy trees.

Clarke found a structure built among some big trees and realized that was the true surprise. "How do we get up there?" Before she got a response, she saw the guards appear out of nowhere and prepare the basket that would lift them up. She got off at the top and was amazed at how impressive it was up close.

Lexa received supplies from her men while Clarke explored. She had just finished when Clarke came from behind and hugged her.

"I love this place," Clarke said contentedly. "Is this where you used to live?"

"No; my people built it for you as a gift," Lexa revealed. "It's called Wanheda's Retreat."

Clarke was touched somehow knowing it was Lexa's idea and expressed her gratitude in kisses. "You've made me very happy."

Lexa was clearly pleased. "I'm glad. Don't you think your mom deserves to be happy, too?" She decided it was time to broach the subject.

"She does," Clarke agreed. "But I can't help thinking she's forgotten my dad."

"I doubt that," Lexa said. "You will always remind her of him."

"What if it was your mother?" Clarke wondered out loud. "Would you feel the same way?"

Lexa confirmed she would have allowed it if her mother found someone suitable. "However, she couldn't find anyone trustworthy to keep Ontari a secret. I think Marcus has proven he is trustworthy."

Clarke couldn't argue that point and did like him. "I hope he knows what he's getting into."

"I think he's well aware," Lexa said. "But if you're not happy with him, I can always throw him in the dungeon." She saw Clarke give her a face that made her smile. "It was just a suggestion."

Clarke knew she was just joking but thought it was time they focused on their honeymoon and was pleased when Lexa indulged her.

.

Lexa stirred in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes. She hadn't realized it was late in the day because of the dense foliage. She found Clarke sitting across from her with her pad drawing.

"Good morning," Clarke greeted her quite pleased with herself for waking early to have another chance to draw her favorite model.

"Good morning," Lexa greeted back watching Clarke approach the bed. "What would you like to do today?"

"Surprise me," Clarke challenged knowing Lexa still had something up her sleeves.

Lexa quickly got up and led her through some rope bridges to a secluded pristine pool of water. "I found it when I explored the place."

"So you have been here before," Clarke blurted out.

"Of course, I had to be sure it was the perfect place for our honeymoon," Lexa confirmed.

Clarke felt playful and pushed Lexa into it. She waited for her to resurface but when she didn't for a long while, she jumped in after her. She was close to panicking when Lexa popped up in front of her. She hugged her in relief.

"What's the matter?" Lexa asked with concern pushing her away to study her face. She could barely tell the difference between water and Clarke's tears but somehow knew. "I should've told you I can swim like a fish."

"Please don't scare me like that again," Clarke said quite shaken.

"I'm alright," Lexa assured her and though of a new activity to make Clarke relax and forget what just happened. Before long, they were once again enjoying each other's company.

"I'm sorry for throwing you in," Clarke apologized as they waited for their clothes to dry.

"I anticipated it so I was in no danger," Lexa revealed. "Even if I was, I think you are the best person to rescue me." She wanted to relieve her of her guilt.

Clarke appreciated Lexa's attempt to make her feel better. She tilted her head when Lexa kissed her bare shoulder.

"Do you want one more swim before we head back?" Lexa suggested and they did just that.


	35. Chapter 35

Clarke listened to Lexa's heartbeat as she rested her head over the other's chest. She could stay that way all day if given the chance but knew they should be heading back to Polis soon. She caught Lexa the day before gazing longingly towards Polis when the latter thought she wasn't looking. "You're ready to go home aren't you?" She still had to ask and lifted her head to look into Lexa's eyes.

Lexa looked conflicted having enjoyed their time alone at the retreat. "I intend to complete our honeymoon."

Clarke smiled and although she liked seeing the more relaxed Lexa away from Polis, she already made up her mind that they were going back early. "I have to admit that I'm starting to miss Polis, too."

Lexa didn't need further convincing and prepared to leave.

"Just promise me that we'll return on our anniversary," Clarke said following her lead.

"We will; every year," Lexa promised. "But you can come here anytime you wish; just do me the favor of taking more than just Quark to keep you safe."

"It won't be the same without you here," Clarke said dispelling the notion. "You've spoilt me."

Lexa smiled inwardly glad to know that she succeeded in making their honeymoon memorable for both of them.

Clarke noticed their pace was slower necessitating them to stop half-way home. She didn't complain making the most of their private time together knowing that soon they might not have as much.

"Thank you," Lexa said laying down beside Clarke who sleepily accepted her gratitude.

.

Lexa's guards rode closer alongside them as they got nearer to Polis. She gave Clarke a quick nod before reverting to her guarded demeanor.

Clarke noticed the change and readied herself as well. She just hoped that they weren't going to be welcomed by trouble at home.

Surprisingly, Polis was abuzz with its usual daily activities and no signs of problem anywhere. People greeted them warmly before allowing them to pass. Once at the stables, Lexa dismounted quickly and began to head to the tower but turned when she noticed Clarke wasn't following her.

"Go ahead," Clarke said. "I'll catch up with you later."

Lexa wondered but didn't question and went on without her. She heard shouting even before she reached her destination. She quickly entered and found her ambassadors on opposing sides yelling at each other. Her entrance and subsequent raised hand calmed the room.

"Heda, you're back," Titus quickly greeted her. "We weren't expecting you back so soon."

Lexa gave him a quick nod then walked up to her throne and turned to face the group. She listened while Titus and Abby gave their sides that led up to the heated argument she witnessed.

.

Clarke found the vendor who made her favorite treat and was disappointed to see he was out of them.

"Wanheda," the man greeted her. "I have a new batch almost ready if you'd like to wait."

Clarke appreciated his offer and asked Quark to wait while she strolled along the other stalls. She didn't notice Octavia headed her way.

"Finally you're back," Octavia said showing relief. "I need your help." She started leading Clarke away from the street.

"What's going on?" Clarke asked wondering what has her friend in such a state.

"Bellamy is missing," Octavia revealed. "No one has seen him since your ceremony."

"He must just want some time alone," Clarke said still miffed with him.

"But he wouldn't just go without telling anyone where he was going," Octavia insisted. "He'd at least tell me."

Clarke had to agree that was uncharacteristic of him and noticed that Quark who was headed their way change course when he saw Octavia. "Quark!"

Quark paused before turning to face them. He offered Clarke a bag of treats and avoided Octavia's gaze.

"Have you seen Bellamy?" Clarke asked guessing he may know something about Bellamy's disappearance.

"What have you done to my brother?" Octavia asked ready to charge him but was restrained by Clarke.

"Not since your ceremony," he replied not saying more.

"Do you know where he is?" Clarke asked hoping he'd come clean.

"In the dungeon," he revealed watching them start to head towards the tower. "Wanheda, not that one." He led the pair to the outskirts where the guards trained. He walked over a grate and lifted it revealing Bellamy in the hole.

"How dare you," Octavia said hitting him hard on his shoulder. "Get him out of there."

Quark did as he was told by grabbing a rope and dropped one end down. He ordered Bellamy to tie it around his waist then pulled him out.

Clarke and Octavia helped Bellamy to his feet but surprisingly he was in good shape.

"Take him home before anything else happens," Clarke told Octavia and watched them go. She saw the hurt in Bellamy's face but knew he got off easy. She decided to quickly head back just in case his kill order was back in force and someone was to report seeing Bellamy near Polis.

Quark caught up to Clarke and rode up the elevator with her. "I did what I had to do so he wouldn't disrupt your special day with Heda." He knew Clarke always encouraged him to think for himself and hoped he hadn't overstepped it.

"I know why you did it but you should've let him go after the feast," Clarke noted sadly. "He was no threat after that."

"I wanted to be sure he caused no problem," he defended his decision to keep him imprisoned. "He was never in danger; he was given food and drink regularly. If Heda knew what he did …" He could tell Clarke knew exactly what he was trying say.

"She must never know about this," she requested earnestly. "He's still my friend."

"I promise not to tell Heda," he gave his word as the elevator doors opened and revealed Lexa standing there. He froze waiting to see what Lexa may have heard.

"I was just about to head down to find you," Lexa said addressing Clarke. "We need to talk."

Clarke followed her after exchanging a quick look of relief with Quark.

.

Lexa waited while Clarke processed what she had just described to her coming out of the council meeting.

"And this came from my mother?" Clarke asked trying to figure out what possessed her to even suggest it.

Lexa confirmed it with a nod. "She thinks it will be good for our people; they are getting restless. This may divert their energies and calm them."

"To host a gladiator game?" Clarke asked incredulously. She had read about them and knew it was a very violent thing. She was struggling to see how to get them all out of that situation. "I think there may have been something lost in translation because I can't imagine she would want anyone to fight to the death."

"My people know only one way to win," Lexa reminded her.

"Then we have to show them another way," Clarke insisted. "A game that doesn't require anyone dying. I used to watch sports with my dad and there were winners and losers but no one died."

Lexa was intrigued. "I think it's not too late for that. Six clans including Skaikru opposed the blood sport."

It was in this case that Clarke was glad it wasn't about the majority vote but a unanimous one or ultimately Lexa's decision. She quickly shared what she remembered of the various sports she watched as they headed to meet with the ambassadors. She found the ambassadors on opposite sides of the room as Lexa left them earlier.

"Clarke, this wasn't what I wanted to happen," Abby said as they stood next to each other. "Titus misunderstood what I said and insists on tradition."

"We'll fix it mom," Clarke assured her listening carefully to Lexa as she explained how the game was going to be played in a non-violent way. She could hear some grumble but accepted Lexa's mandate nonetheless.

"In a month's time, each clan's champion will come to Polis to compete and demonstrate skill, strength and stamina as we've done for years," Lexa announced. "But without using weapons that could kill; only subdue an opponent." She waited for any objection but when none came she dismissed the council.

Abby turned to Clarke and smiled knowing things would be alright with the compromise.

Lexa watched as the ambassadors filed out eager to send word home so their clan would choose their champion and prepare. "I know you don't approve. Change can be hard but I believe it's the next step we must take." She turned to Titus and saw him struggle to accept the new path she was leading them to.

"Your enemies will use this against you," he warned.

"Or maybe they will finally see what peace is like," she countered before taking her leave. She signaled Aden to follow her to talk with him in private.

.

Clarke arranged a candle-lit dinner while she waited for Lexa to return from her talk with Aden. She was tempted to take a bite but exercised self-restraint wanting their first night home to be perfect. She didn't have to wait long when the door opened and Lexa stepped in.

"What is this?" Lexa asked wondering why Clarke went through all that trouble.

"We haven't had a moment to ourselves since we got here so I thought we can have a meal together."

"Didn't my guard tell you?" Lexa asked looking around. She specifically sent word to let Clarke know what she was up to.

"He said you would be eating soon," Clarke repeated.

Lexa realized he had relayed the message wrong. "The message was supposed to let you know that I was eating with Aden. I thought you would want to have a meal with your mother to catch up."

Clarke was visibly disappointed and unhappy about the miscommunication. "Mom and I are all caught up."

Lexa caught Clarke by the waist as she turned hoping to make it up to her. "I haven't had dessert though."

"Since when are you a fan of desserts?" Clarke sat across from Lexa and started eating.

"Since you showed me how good it tastes," Lexa teased smiling when Clarke reacted the way she intended.

"How is Aden doing?" Clarke asked wanting to change the subject quickly.

"He still has much to learn," Lexa noted. "But so do we. Have you seen Octavia?"

Clarke almost choked on her food. "Why do you ask?"

"I told her we'd discuss her joining Trikru when I returned," Lexa explained. "I think the game is a perfect way for her to prove her worthiness without having to kill anyone."

"So you want her to represent Trikru?" Clarke asked wondering how that would happen.

"Indra can appoint her as the clan's champion," Lexa said. "Octavia has beaten most of her warriors before so they would accept the choice." She reached and popped in a treat to munch on.

Clarke was glad but knew someone who would oppose it if he could. She wasn't sure how he'd react when he found out.

"What's the matter?" Lexa asked noting her unease. "Octavia will be fine."

"It's not her I'm worried about," Clarke agreed knowing her friend was capable. "Bellamy is not going to like her becoming a member of Trikru."

"It's not up to him," Lexa countered. "Octavia has shown interest and I think Indra would benefit greatly since her daughter isn't interested in succeeding her."

"She has a daughter?" Clarke asked in surprise. "Why haven't I heard about her before?"

Lexa realized she had revealed too much. "Because Indra doesn't speak about her and I probably shouldn't either."

Clarke was intrigued but didn't press Lexa for more details. She decided in time she would learn more.

"Anyway, do you know where Octavia is?" Lexa asked again.

"She went to Arkadia," Clarke revealed trying to give as little details as possible.

"Doesn't she want to stay in Polis anymore?" Lexa asked concerned that something may have spooked her while they were away.

Clarke decided to explain to avoid ruining Octavia's chance of becoming part of Trikru which she knew her friend wanted. "She went with Bellamy to make sure he got home safe."

"He was here in Polis?" Lexa asked hiding her displeasure. "He wasn't invited to come."

"He was near Polis and needed my help," Clarke clarified hoping it won't upset her too much.

"You still care about him," Lexa asked openly.

"Yes," Clarke admitted. "Because he is still my friend. He's not a threat to you anymore; he knows how important you are to me."

"I hope you are right," Lexa said standing up abruptly to leave the table.

Clarke stood up and caught up to her. "I won't ever let anything happen to you."

Lexa appreciated the reassurance.

.

Lexa waited for Clarke to wake up on her own; she didn't dare interrupt what seemed to be a good dream the latter was having.

Clarke opened her eyes and saw what she was dreaming of. She managed to croak a greeting before looking around to determine what time it was. Seeing how high the sun was up, she wondered why Lexa wasn't up and about yet. "Shouldn't you be somewhere that isn't here right now?"

"I think Aden could use a bit more practice at running Polis," Lexa replied nuzzling the sleep out of the blonde.

"He was overwhelmed yesterday wasn't he?" Clarke noted sympathetically.

"He still has a lot to learn," Lexa agreed. "He asked to finish his turn and I agreed; it gives me a chance to watch him make decisions especially between two opposing ideas."

"You mean between my mother and Titus," Clarke stated plainly. She knew how difficult it was to clash with just one of the two, much less them together.

"Has your mother told you when she would like to leave?" Lexa asked as Clarke snuggled against her shoulder.

"Are you trying to kick her out?" Clarke asked looking up at her.

"No; but are you keeping her away from Marcus?" Lexa countered.

Clarke couldn't deny it was an ulterior motive but since Abby was acting as Skaikru's ambassador, it meant that she was free to be with Lexa who now apparently was also free from obligations. "Maybe I'll let her finish her turn as well."

Lexa nodded her agreement then gave her a quick kiss before getting up.

"Where are you going?" Clarke asked watching her change. "I thought you were letting Aden take care of Polis."

"Yes," Lexa confirmed. "But I also said I'd watch him to see him in action." She saw Clarke frown and promised not to take long and spend time with her.

.

Clarke was drawing a trophy that she was envisioning for the upcoming game. She incorporated elements of all the clans but prominently designed the commander's symbol in the middle. She wasn't sure if it would be ready by then but sent Quark to find someone who can make it for her. She heard a knock at the door and realized that there were no guards outside to block anyone.

"Clarke, are you in there?" Octavia asked through the door.

Clarke opened the door and let her in. "You're back early."

"I didn't make it all the way to Arkadia," Octavia explained. "What did I miss?" She noticed people were excited about something but didn't stop to find out from them.

Clarke brought her up to speed quickly and saw Octavia's eyes light up. "Lexa thinks it's a perfect way for you to prove your commitment to Trikru."

Octavia was clearly delighted by the news. "And I don't have to kill anyone; that's perfect." She had been discussing becoming part of Trikru with Indra since Lexa mentioned it.

"You still have to win," Clarke reminded her. "Are you going to tell Bellamy?"

"Did you tell him when you decided to marry Lexa?" Octavia teased.

"I'm not his sister," Clarke pointed out but understood why it might not be wise to do so. "Did you know that Indra has a daughter?" By the look on Octavia's face, she didn't either.

"Who told you that?" Octavia asked wondering why Indra never mentioned it.

Before she could respond the door opened and in came Lexa. She marveled at just how Lexa still took her breath away even with such a simple act.

"Has Clarke told you about the upcoming event?" Lexa asked judging from Octavia's expression that she was caught up.

"Thank you," Octavia said overwhelmed by excitement that she had to hug her.

Lexa didn't reciprocate but neither did she pull away until Clarke cleared her throat.

"Sorry," Octavia stammered and pulled away quickly. She checked to see if Clarke was upset and relieved to see she was not.

"You should go prepare," Lexa suggested. She watched as Octavia took her up on it and left. "Did you tell her about Indra's daughter?"

"I just want her to know what she's up against," Clarke revealed.

"She's not up against anyone other than the champions of the other clans," Lexa reiterated. "I have faith in her abilities and this is better."

"Better how?" Clarke asked curiously.

"In order to join Trikru, Octavia would have had to go through a gauntlet of Trikru's prisoners," Lexa explained. "They intend to kill her to gain their freedoms while she had to kill them to prove her loyalty."

Clarke now understood why Octavia hugged Lexa. "Why did you suggest it if it's that dangerous?"

"There is a reason why they are prisoners," Lexa began to explain. "Octavia is more than capable of taking them on; she was in no danger. You still think we're harsh but we can't change our ways overnight. Unlike your clan, we don't just adopt someone into it."

"Anyway, what do you think of this?" Clarke asked changing the subject and showing Lexa her drawing.

"What is it?" Lexa wondered trying to discern what the drawn object was for.

"It's a trophy for the game," Clarke revealed. "There has to be a prize for the winner."

"And what is the winner going to do with it?" Lexa asked trying to find its practical use.

"Never mind," Clarke said seeing how it might be seen as frivolous. "I just thought it would be nice to commemorate the first game that didn't end in anyone being dead."

"Let's see how it goes first before we start commemorating anything," Lexa said trying to both encourage and temper Clarke's enthusiasm.

Clarke nodded before making an excuse of spending some time with her mother.

Lexa didn't stop her but looked at the drawing she left behind. She picked it up and studied it closer before coming up with an idea.

.

Lexa looked at the piles of books before her trying to remember where she had read about it. She heard familiar footsteps behind her and faced her visitor.

"You've added quite a few more books haven't you?" Luna noted seeing the difference since she was there last.

"I tried to save as much as I can," Lexa confirmed.

"Has it helped you?" Luna wondered picking up one of the books close to her.

"On occasion," Lexa said vaguely. "And I'm hoping to find one that will help now."

"Can I help?" Luna offered following Lexa to a shelf that has her attention.

"Found it," Lexa said triumphantly. She started to leaf through it and quickly got absorbed in reading.

.

Clarke browsed the stalls with her mother and bought a few things for her to take back to Arkadia. She also chatted with a few locals on the streets. "What?" she asked seeing her mom eyeing her.

"They respect you," Abby noted with admiration.

"Only because I'm with Lexa," Clarke replied trying to downplay her stature among the Grounders.

"That's not true and you know it," Abby insisted. "You've done so much not only for us but them as well."

"Is that your way of saying you're proud of me?" Clarke teased her.

"I've only ever wanted for you to be happy," Abby said instead.

Clarke paused then gave her a hug. "I am. And I want you to be happy, too. If that means you have to be with Marcus, I'll accept it."

Abby hugged her back happily. "Let's go get a drink and celebrate. It's not often we agree on something."

Clarke turned and bumped into someone who grabbed the bag containing her purchases. She saw Quark run after the thief and decided to lead her mom back to the safety of the tower. When they turned a corner they found a hooded person headed their way and she was relieved when they passed without incident.

"What's the matter?" Abby asked before crumpling to the ground.

Clarke turned and armed herself with a gun but didn't get a chance to aim it as her view turned black.


	36. Chapter 36

Lexa looked up from what she was reading with a sudden sense of dread. She determined it wasn't a mistake and abruptly left the room with Luna trailing behind her.

"What's the matter?" Luna asked catching up to her. She knew something was up since Lexa wasn't one to react without cause.

Lexa didn't answer as they quickly found Abby unconscious on the ground. She knelt down to revive her.

Abby rubbed the back of her head to ease the throbbing pain she felt and looked around. "Where's Clarke?" Her maternal instinct was ringing an alarm in her head.

Lexa looked around and found Clarke's discarded gun close by. She walked over and tried to discern what occurred. "Where is Quark?"

"He went after a thief," Abby began to explain before giving details of the hooded figure who she suspected took Clarke.

Luna studied the scene and noticed something out of place and brought it to Lexa's attention.

Lexa picked up a small piece of charcoal and knew it was Clarke's way of leaving a trail for her to follow.

"Go," Abby said knowing there was no time to waste.

.

Clarke realized she was running out of charcoal to leave a trail and hoped that there were other things Lexa could use to track her down. She felt her abductor abruptly stop and put her down.

"You must promise not to run away," a male voice finally spoke. "I do not wish to harm you."

Clarke nodded her compliance and was relieved to finally have her feet back on the ground and the bag off her head. She could tell he knew his way around Polis taking all the back ways to get out of the city undetected.

"I need your help," he began tentatively trying to see if she'd run away.

"You have a weird way of asking for it," she pointed out looking around and determined he was alone. She raised her bound hands for him to untie.

"It was the only way I could think of to get Heda's attention," he confessed cutting the rope quickly.

Upon the mention of Lexa, Clarke's protective instinct took over and she started to escape but was tackled to the ground. "I'm not going to let you harm her!" She started hitting him as hard as she could before he pinned her arms with his own.

"I don't want to harm her either," he said trying to calm her down. "I just need her help to find my family."

"Why should I believe you?" she doubted his intentions.

The hooded man abruptly released her and sat on a nearby stump. "You're free to go; they were right, it was foolish to ask for help."

Clarke got up and started to leave but seeing him so forlorn she felt sympathy for him. "Why didn't you just ask her for help instead of doing this?"

"I tried to reach Heda but they would never let me near her," the man said pulling his hood off revealing his face. He waited for Clarke to recognize him.

Clarke barely recognized him but knew he was one of Lexa's guards who disappeared without a word. She didn't know the details but knew abandoning one's post was punishable by death.

They both heard a sound nearby and the man pulled her close.

"Don't make a sound," he warned. When he saw a figure approach he panicked and slung Clarke over his shoulder and ran.

"Wait," she pleaded seeing the figure get pulled up by a trap. "That could be Heda."

"Heda would not have fallen into my trap so easily," he said. "And if it was her, she can easily free herself and find us."

.

Lexa found Quark hanging upside down and didn't hide her disappointment in him. She considered leaving him there to teach him a lesson but seeing Luna's disapproving look made her reconsider. She cut him free but didn't care as he dropped to the ground with a strong thud.

"Thank you Heda," he said gratefully rubbing his shoulder that hit the ground first. He stammered an apology for letting Clarke get kidnapped but he stopped when Lexa raised her hand.

"Where did they go?" Lexa asked not wanting to waste time. She followed on horseback as Quark led the way quickly tracking the path Clarke's abductor took.

"There could be other traps," Luna warned looking around for any signs of danger.

Lexa agreed and signaled Quark to slow down and be more careful. She counted on Clarke being able to stay safe until she can be rescued. They came upon a clearing where they were stumped by which direction to head. She dismounted to help Quark look at the tracks.

"There are too many directions," he noted as he looked at the multiple hoof prints on the ground.

Lexa recognized that delaying tactic making her realize whoever took Clarke was one of her guards. She could see that her companions did, too. With sunlight starting to wane, the trio decided to setup camp.

"We'll figure it out," Luna said trying to comfort Lexa.

Lexa was pretty sure that they would eventually figure it out but wasn't pleased that there was a limitation to her connection with Clarke. She wondered how A.L.I.E. was able to

.

Clarke watched as her abductor argued with an older man who showed signs of albinism. She looked around her and noted that most had the same condition in varying degrees. She wondered what his association to them was when a female member offered her food.

"Wanheda," the young woman addressed her reverently. "Please have some." She took a piece herself to show it wasn't poisoned.

Clarke accepted it but tried to listen in on the argument. She could tell that the older man was worried about what Lexa would do because of her abduction.

"What have you done?" the older man said loudly. "She will kill us all for this."

"Wanheda won't let her," the younger man argued. "I've seen her spare her worse enemy. He was allowed to live."

"Banished from her lands," the older man reminded him. "We barely survive as it is."

The younger man left in a huff while the older man approached Clarke.

"I must apologize for my son's behavior," the man began to say. "He has been impatient and unreasonable since his wife and son disappeared."

Clarke took advantage of that opening to learn more about him and their community. She showed genuine concern that made the man feel at ease to tell the full story of what happened.

.

Lexa steadied her horse while she waited for Quark to return. They needed to narrow down the paths they would try following. Between the three of them they had a better chance of catching up to Clarke and her abductor but still needed to pick the more probable paths.

"That is a dead end," Quark reported when he returned from one he chose.

Lexa gave each of her companions a path to follow but stopped when something caught her eye. She quickly dismounted and ran to it.

"What is it?" Luna asked urging her horse closer.

Lexa recognized the object and picked up Clarke's watch. She was pleased at her resourcefulness and it pinpointed exactly which way they went. After hours of riding they came close to a tall waterfall. She looked up at it with curiosity.

"They must have crossed here," Luna suggested seeing the trail disappear by the riverbank a safe distance away from the base of the waterfall.

Lexa nodded and gave Quark a silent order to cross and try to pick up the trail again. She urged her horse to cross when Quark waved at the spot he found the tracks on the other side. But halfway through, she once again paused to look at the waterfall.

.

Clarke noticed that those around her were a bit tense. She wondered what had them in such a state that even the children were so quiet. They waited as the guard posted at the entrance gave the all clear signal before going about their daily routine. She then watched as the old man talked to a group of men for some time before coming over to see her.

"It is time for you to go," the old man told Clarke. "A few of my men will escort you back to Polis."

"Just like that?" Clarke asked trying to gauge his intentions. "What about your son and his family?"

"We will take care of our own," he assured her. "And he will not prevent you from going home; my men will make sure of it."

There was a commotion outside and soon they saw his son and the watch entering the cavern with three armed warriors behind them.

"Heda," everyone addressed her and knelt before her when they saw her.

"Heda, we are unarmed," the old man quickly approached and prostrated himself before her.

Lexa confirmed with a quick scan of the area before walking over to Clarke. She saw a bruise on the side of her head but knew it was just superficial. "Let's go home." She walked past Luna and Quark giving them a signal that Clarke recognized as her signal to kill them all.

"No," Clarke quickly said to spare them. "Don't." She turned to make sure that Luna and Quark stayed still and pleaded with Lexa non-verbally.

Lexa turned and glared at Clarke. "They need to be punished for this."

Clarke pulled her aside and tried to reason with her. "They aren't responsible; and he did if for a good reason."

"There is never a good reason to take you by force," Lexa said angrily.

Clarke tried her best to calm Lexa and explained why she was fiercely defending them. "He was just doing what you are right now."

Lexa looked at her in disbelief at the comparison.

"You would do anything to get me back," Clarke explained. "I think his wife may have taken the chip and A.L.I.E. has trapped her and her son somewhere."

"But we've defeated A.L.I.E.," Lexa reminded her.

"Then why hasn't she come home yet with her son?" Clarke asked. "We have to find them and maybe there are more of them out there."

"Why did she take the chip?" Lexa asked.

"Her son was born with the same genetic condition they have," Clarke explained turning to look at a few of them. "Your guard was the first to be born without it and they had hoped it was the end of it in their bloodline until he married someone with the same recessive condition."

"It still doesn't justify what he did," Lexa said strongly. "He betrayed my trust."

Clarke knew it was inexcusable but hoped she would show mercy. "Then banish him; at least his family can still be with him."

"No, they will not survive," Lexa said quietly. "I will spare his family and his people but he must die." She didn't want to discuss it further and signaled Quark to take the kidnapper outside to meet his fate.

.

Lexa waited while Quark strapped the kidnapper to a tree. "You know the price of treachery so explain to me why you dared to take Wanheda." She was looking for a reason to forgive him as Clarke wanted her to do.

"I'm sorry Heda," he replied contritely. "I never meant to hurt her. I just needed to get your attention."

"You got more than her attention," Quark chimed in. They both knew that it was Lexa's ire that he got more than anything.

"I can't allow this to go unpunished," Lexa said sadly. "You know the rules. _Yu gonplei ste odon,_ "

The man accepted her decision and readied himself for the death blow. "Before I die, can I make a last request?"

Lexa allowed him that much and agreed to find his family and set them free if they were somehow trapped somewhere. "Your son will know that you went through great lengths for him." She then turned to the duty of making him die properly.

.

Clarke watched from a distance with the rest as Lexa plunge her sword through the man's heart. He was instantly dead then there was a sense of relief when Lexa announced she no longer demanded all of them to die. She saw a few men go to prepare for the funeral pyre.

"You know she had to do it," Luna spoke to Clarke.

"No she didn't; she could have let him live," Clarke argued. "He just wanted to be with his family."

"She had no choice," Luna defended Lexa. "If she let him live, others will do the same to you and use you like a pawn. Worse case, you may end up like Costia."

Being reminded of Costia's demise made Clarke see why Lexa needed to make him an example. She felt bad that she was too critical of Lexa. "How did you find me?" She had been curious about that.

"Lexa was drawn to you," Luna replied remembering Lexa's interest with the waterfall. "Then we managed to capture your abductor who brought us to your location."

Clarke concluded that he was unnerved and got careless. She wished they had released her sooner and avoided his punishment. She walked over to meet Quark partway and stood by him.

"He wanted me to thank you for trying to spare his life," he said.

Clarke didn't feel she did enough to merit his gratitude then realized someone who would be in the same situation. "She mustn't ever know about what Bellamy tried to do." She desperately wanted Quark's assurance of discretion.

"She won't learn it from me," he promised. "But I can't guarantee your friend's silence."

Clarke told him she got that handled and hoped to warn Bellamy before his next encounter with Lexa.

Lexa walked over and stood next to them before Luna joined them.

"Do you know his name?" Clarke spoke up first.

"Kell," Lexa replied hoping that would give her closure. "We should leave soon."

"I'd like to stay," Clarke said noticing that the other two left even before Lexa asked them to. "I just want to make sure they'll be alright."

Lexa didn't argue but quickly thought of something to say. "Don't take too long; your mother will worry." She then returned her father's watch to her.

Clarke accepted it before pulling Lexa into a hug. "Don't worry about me; I'll be alright."

.

Lexa stoked the fire and watched the embers glow hotter momentarily. She was considering what she would do next.

"You should go back," Luna suggested correctly guessing what was on her mind.

"Polis needs me," Lexa said. "There are more important matters there for me to fix."

"She needs your help to fix things," Luna pointed out.

"She needs to stop wanting to fix everything," Lexa argued. "Not everything needs it."

"You used to think that way, too," Luna said with an amused grin. She quickly dodged the projectile Lexa aimed at her.

"I've learned to choose the more important things," Lexa noted. "Clarke needs to do the same."

"Then teach her like you've taught her to care for our people," Luna suggested. "She's shown how much she cares even for those we consider outcasts."

Lexa pondered on it and when morning came, she had resolved to help Clarke to Luna's approval. They rode quickly only to find the place abandoned.

"Where did they go?" Luna asked assessing the place. It was obvious the former occupants left in haste.

Lexa studied the charred remains of something on the floor. She could see it was smashed and concluded Clarke must've destroyed it because she determined it was a threat.

"What is it?" Luna asked looking over Lexa's shoulder.

"I don't know," Lexa said wishing Clarke was there to explain that technology to her.

.

Clarke carried one of the younger members of the group as they hiked to a new shelter. She wished Lexa was there to help her defend the community. The minute the drone came to life in the cave, she instinctively knew they were in trouble. She wondered if that was how the A.L.I.E. came in contact with Kell's family.

"Wanheda, I can carry him for you," Quark offered already carrying one in his arm.

Clarke declined wanting to be of help as much as she can. "Can you ask them how and where they found that thing?" She was shown the drone device by the children as the last thing Kell's son had been playing with. She needed to know more about it and didn't want any misinterpretation of her questioning that would cause them to clam up.

Quark acting as translator told the tale of how they found it while playing one day and Kell's son brought it back to their cave. They said that he could communicate with it and order it to do things like bring him and his mother food. They also added that they started acting weird after.

From what she gathered, she figured that the two had ingested the chip and that was how they were able to control the drone and also be under A.L.I.E.'s control. When the drone snapped back to life, she got worried sensing that it was under someone else's control. It seemed to her to be studying her and in the process was moving too close for comfort to her that Quark smashed it with a big rock. She wasn't going to wait around to find out who was controlling it and knew that their location was compromised. With a bit of convincing, she managed to get them to leave in case they were attacked by whoever took Kell's family. She stopped abruptly that Quark bumped into her.

"What's wrong?" he asked seeing her alarm.

"I have to go back," she replied setting the boy down on the ground. "Lexa needs my help."

.

Lexa and Luna searched high and low respectively to find the path the group took. She lucked out and found the trail they took and was about to call Luna over from the top of the waterfall when she heard then saw something come towards her from the air.

"Lexa, take cover!" Clarke yelled as she ran towards her.

Lexa quickly realized the flying thing was trying to target her and to lure it away from Clarke, she chose to run away from her towards the brink of the waterfall. She quickly considered her options once she got to the edge.

"Watch out!" Clarke yelled looking for a way to stop the drone that was bigger and appeared armed. She could only helplessly watch as it launched and aimed a small missile towards Lexa. It made impact and the blast threw rocks and water that blurred her view. When things cleared up, she couldn't see Lexa where she last stood. "No!"

"Wanheda, move," Quark shouted pulling her back towards the woods as the drone turned towards her.

The two hadn't gone far when the drone tried to launch its last missile but it jammed and self-destructed.

Clarke quickly turned back to the spot Lexa was last at and looked over the falls. She tried to find any trace of her and found Luna dragging her limp body back to shore. She was relieved but also wanted to get to her quickly and found no other way than to jump down. "Are you going to stop me?" she asked Quark as he stood beside her.

"I think we can do it," he replied with a confident smile and jumped right over.

.

Clarke waded quickly over with some help from the river current and reached Luna as she was resuscitating Lexa. She was readying herself to take over when she saw Lexa regain consciousness.

"Clarke," Lexa said trying to focus and find her.

"I'm here," Clarke said taking her hand and looking into her eyes. "I'm alright."

Lexa smiled weakly before losing consciousness again.

"What's wrong with her?" Luna asked knowing that wasn't the expected reaction.

Clarke examined and realized that Lexa had sustained an injury to the back of her head. It wasn't evident and she quickly ministered the wound. "We need to get her to a shelter."

Quark quickly rounded up the horses but knew Lexa was in no condition to ride. That's when he saw a group approach and prepared to defend Lexa next to Luna.

"We've come to help," one of the hooded men declared.

Luna and Quark turned to Clarke to let her decide what they were going to do next.

Clarke quickly determined that Lexa's injury needed better medical care so she decided to take her to the next best thing. She ordered Quark to quickly go fetch her mother while they took Lexa to Niylah's place.

"Why not Polis?" Luna asked while the men prepared a litter to carry Lexa safely.

"Because I don't want Titus getting in the way," Clarke replied. She wasn't sure if Luna knew about the chip or the protocol Titus would like to follow around it once the host was injured.

"And Niylah can be trusted?" Luna asked cautiously.

"I trust her," Clarke confirmed. She counted on Niylah's discretion and the possibility she had scavenged things she might need to heal Lexa.


	37. Chapter 37

Lexa's body was gently placed on a bed at Niylah's place. She was in and out of consciousness during the transport struggling to stay in-control of her faculties.

NIylah brought blankets and anything she could think of that would help Clarke as she tended to Lexa. She saw that Clarke had shed Lexa's outer garments. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Clarke thanked her for letting them stay before turning her full attention back to Lexa. She got into bed with her to keep her warm.

"Clarke," Lexa spoke softly. She was still struggling to stay conscious.

"Don't exert yourself too much," Clarke cautioned her. "My mom is on her way and we'll figure out what's wrong."

"I think I know what's wrong," Lexa continued knowing she had little time. "My spirit is dying."

"No!" Clarke refuted the self-diagnosis she gave. "Please don't give up on me. We'll fix it." She looked into Lexa's eyes begging her not to surrender.

"Clarke, I need you to take my place," Lexa said trying to convince her to do so. "Our people need you to lead and defend them. They won't know what to do."

"I will take care of them," Clark promised not wanting to stress her further. "Only if you promise that your fight isn't over."

"You're getting too good at this," Lexa teased with a weak smile before drifting off again.

Clarke hugged Lexa tightly monitoring her vitals even more closely and praying her mom would arrived soon. Before long, her prayer was answered when Abby entered and examined Lexa while she waited.

"She must be bleeding internally," Abby diagnosed. "Her blood pressure is too low."

"What can we do?" Clarke asked trying to think of what she may have missed.

"We need to find where she's bleeding," Abby stated the obvious. "We need to take her back to Arkadia."

"No, we can't move her again," Clarke refused knowing Lexa was getting weaker every second. "We need to figure it out here."

"We don't have equipment here," Abby argued. She was corrected when Clarke revealed what Niylah had salvaged from Mount Weather. "These might work." She quickly took stock at what she had on hand.

Clarke got ready to assist when her mom stopped her. "You'll need my help."

"What I need is someone who won't question my every medical decision," Abby said. She noticed Octavia join them. "Octavia, clean up and help me operate on Lexa."

Clarke turned from Abby to Octavia then back wanting to point out that she was more qualified.

"We don't have time to debate this or anything else I need to do," Abby warned and signaled for Octavia to prepare. "I'll do everything I can to save her but only if you will let me."

Clarke knew Lexa needed Abby's help so she didn't argue further. She just wished she was part of it than being sidelined.

.

Clarke stared and waited to hear how things were going inside. She kept calling out to Lexa through her chip hoping to hear from her. She didn't notice Niylah approach so was slightly surprised when the latter offered her a bowl of food.

"You should eat," Niylah suggested.

"I'm not hungry," Clarke refused politely.

"Heda wouldn't allow you to go hungry," Niylah insisted. "Besides, she'd probably blame me if you starved."

Knowing Lexa, Clarke had to agree and accepted the bowl and gobbled it down before realizing just how hungry she was. "Thanks, I needed that."

Niylah was pleased and went to get her some more to eat. "This time will you at least chew first?"

Clarke felt a little better after until she saw Abby come out. "How is she?"

"That chip is amazing," Abby noted in amazement. "It was trying to heal her even before I started." She followed Clarke back inside to Lexa's side.

Clarke was glad but when she still didn't get a response from Lexa, she knew something still needed to be done. "Why isn't she waking up?"

"She needs to rest to regain her strength," Abby said.

Clarke concluded that it was probably beyond their combined medical knowledge and she may need her friends' help. She went to find Quark to fetch them to help her figure out what might be wrong with Lexa's chip.

.

Lexa's vitals improved overnight giving Clarke hope that she was on the mend. But she knew instinctively that there was more to be done. "Help is on the way." She kept repeating hoping Lexa would hear.

"Wanheda, your friends are here," Quark announced when they finally arrived. He obviously didn't take no for an answer as he pushed Raven and Monty in.

"You should teach him some manners," Raven complained before understanding the urgency when she saw Lexa's weakened state. "What happened?"

Clarke quickly filled them in and asked if they could help her.

"If you didn't destroy," Monty began to remind her before Raven punched him on the shoulder.

"We don't have anything on hand but maybe we can find something back at Becca's place," Raven suggested optimistically.

"Maybe she just needs time to recover," Monty supposed. "Remember it took longer to go through her scan; she may need more time to reboot."

Clarke thought he made a good point so decided to wait but then brought up the topic of drones. "Do you know how I can track down the pilot of a drone?"

Monty jumped in on that topic enthusiastically and described how it could possibly be done. He was going to use the radio frequency to do so and with Raven's help could create a tracker.

"How soon can you get me a working one?" Clarke asked wanting to find the person behind the drone attack on Lexa.

"Give us a few," Raven said setting off to work. "By the way, Bellamy came with us and wants to talk to you." She told her where he would be waiting.

Clarke was glad he stayed out of sight since she didn't want another confrontation between him and Niylah. She went to find him to see what he wanted.

"Clarke," he called out to her from his hiding spot. "Are you alright?" He was worried when Quark arrived at Arkadia unexpectedly and had to see for himself that she was alright.

"I'm fine," she replied touched by his concern.

"We have a problem; Jaha is no longer in a coma and we can't find him," he warned.

Clarke was surprised and wondered why no one had informed her before then. "When?"

"We're not sure but when Kane returned from Polis, Jaha was gone," he revealed. "I've joined the search since I got back but we have no clue where he is."

"Why hasn't Kane told us or at the very least me?" she wondered aloud.

"Because he thought we'd find him before you got back," he explained.

Clarke quickly pieced together the bits of information she had so far and concluded that Jaha must be behind the attack using the drone. She didn't share that with him and instead thanked him for letting her know and wishing him luck in finding Jaha. She watched as he headed back to Arkadia.

.

Clarke thought long and hard before making a decision of what to do next. She donned Lexa's outer garments and prepared to leave without telling anyone. She checked to see if the gadget Raven whipped up was still working before sneaking out while it was still dark. She was surprised when she found Quark leading horses towards her.

"It would be faster," he said offering the reins of one to her before mounting his steed.

Clarke appreciated his initiative and was about to mount hers when they heard someone approach.

"Where are you taking her?" Octavia demanded thinking he was forcing her to go. She could see from the faint light from camp that Clarke was wearing Lexa's clothing. "What are you doing?" She realized it was Clarke's idea after all.

"I have to make sure Lexa is safe," Clarke explained. "I'm going to go after the person behind the attack." She deliberately chose not to mention Jaha until she confirmed it.

"I'll come with you," Octavia offered wanting to help.

"No! I need you to stay and protect Lexa," Clarke said. "I don't know what Titus will do if he finds out about this. You have to keep her safe especially if she is taken back to Becca's place."

Octavia wasn't sure what had Clarke so concerned but agreed to stay behind. "You better not get hurt or she'll kill me."

Clarke gave her a quick hug before leaving. She hadn't gotten far when Luna suddenly joined them. "She needs you more than I do."

"I'm following her order," Luna revealed. "She asked me to keep you safe."

Clarke wasn't surprised that even in her weakened state, Lexa was making sure of her safety. "You don't know what we're up against." She felt compelled to warn her.

"Neither does he but you're taking him," Luna pointed out not hiding her dissatisfaction with his recent performance in protecting Clarke.

Quark bristled at the implicit assessment but knew he still had to earn her trust and regain Clarke's.

Clarke preferred to have as many protecting Lexa but then decided to accept Luna's help not knowing what was ahead.

The trio rode back to investigate both drone remains and Clarke was disappointed when the device didn't seem to work until they heard the now familiar hum of a drone. They hid and waited for it to hover overhead before moving on.

"What do we do now?" Luna asked watching the device in Clarke's hand start to beep.

"We follow it home." Clarke said and led them through the woods keeping out of its sight.

.

Lexa's body was again on the move under Abby's directions. She was slowly healing but still unconscious. The men who offered to help before were once again helping take her to a new destination.

"She's taking it pretty well," Raven noted quietly to Octavia.

"There's really not much she can do," Octavia pointed out. "I just hope Clarke knows what she's doing and isn't going to get herself killed."

Raven looked towards Abby wondering if she was listening in on them. "Do you even know what she's up to?"

Octavia looked at Abby, too, before replying. "She's going after whoever attacked Lexa."

"And do what?" Raven asked with curiosity.

Octavia shrugged but knew enough that she didn't want to be on the receiving end of Clarke's anger.

"Why didn't you stop her?" Raven asked checking again to make sure Abby wasn't within earshot. "I saw you two talking." She explained that she happened to see them because she couldn't sleep.

"Because I would do the same if anyone attacked someone I loved," Octavia replied.

.

Clarke and her companions followed the drone and noted that it seemed to be searching for something.

"What is around here?" Clarke asked hoping they knew the terrain well to know. She saw blank expressions so knew she had her work cut out for her.

"What are we looking for?" Quark asked when Clarke instructed them to look around.

"Anything out of the ordinary," Clarke said hoping for something to stick out.

Hours passed and none of them found anything. Clarke was beginning to get frustrated until something glimmered due to the angle of the sun that caught all their attention as they were resting.

"I'll go," Quark offered wanting to be certain it was safe before having them follow. When he ascertained it was, he came back to report what he found.

"A door?" Clarke asked for confirmation. It seemed odd to have a door in the middle of nowhere. True enough, there was a massive metal door. The sun must have reflected off its handle.

"Are you sure we should open it?" Luna asked warily. She didn't like not knowing what was behind the door.

Clarke didn't either but they've come so far. With their combined effort, they managed to open the heavy door and found a dimly lit tunnel behind it.

Luna boldly took the lead to enter not wanting Clarke to be in harm's way should there be any ahead of them while Quark guarded their backs as they went in. They walked cautiously until they arrived at a large room that had hallways in many directions.

"Now what?" Luna asked trying to make sense of where they were.

Clarke dusted off a table that serendipitously turned out to have a map of facility. "This must be a bunker."

"What does that mean?" Luna asked looking over her shoulder.

Clarke studied the map trying to determine its value when they heard scuffling behind them and Quark quickly reacted and carried a wriggling small boy back. She quickly recognized him as Kell's son. "Careful, don't hurt him."

Quark set him down but held on tightly to prevent him from escaping. He was quite impressed at the young boy's spirit and strength.

"Are you alone? Where is your mother?" Clarke asked the little boy. She then realized he didn't understand and spoke in his language with some help from her companions. When he refused to respond, she mentioned that his father sent them to find him. She saw that calmed him down and got his attention.

The little boy broke away from Quark and took Clarke's hand quickly leading her down one hallway. He stopped when he arrived at a heavy door that was ajar and called out to someone inside.

Clarke realized that there were people trapped inside and the boy must have crawled out through the small gap trying to find a way to free them. She turned to her companions and they knew what she wanted but just not how to deliver.

Quark tried to pull the door open using brute force to no avail and saw the boy's clear look of disappointment.

It was at that moment that Clarke wished she had brought Raven along but she had to make do with what she had. After making certain no one trapped was in grave danger, she decided to go back to the map to find another way out for them. She was baffled by what was so important about the place when she noted that it showed as simply being a fallout shelter.

"What's the matter?" Luna asked sensing her puzzlement.

"There must be something here that we're missing," Clarke said trying to find the reason the drone was being used to find it.

"Let's get them out first," Luna said trying to keep her focused on task. "We can investigate more after."

Clarke agreed and after a while found a second door in the rear of the living section. She showed the boy how to guide those trapped to it and they were going to head over and open it for them. She watched as the boy crawled back in and then led her companions to the exit point. It took the three of them to open up the door as well.

"They thank you," Quark translated even though he knew she understood.

Clarke was glad and listened to the varying stories of how they ended up there. The common theme was that they were drawn to it. She knew why but decided not to mention it.

"Shouldn't we wait for your mother to cure them first?" Quark suggested when the group expressed their desire to return to their homes.

Clarke considered it a moment but knew it would be difficult to prevent them from leaving. "There's only three of us." She saw some already starting to leave through the main door.

"You can command them to stay," Luna reminded her of her authority over them.

Clarke doubted it but was surprised when they all followed her order. They began the journey to Niylah's place when they were intercepted by several drones hovering above them. She ordered everyone to take cover only to find them mesmerized by the drones.

"Why aren't they listening?" Luna wondered seeing that they weren't affected the same way.

"Because they're under someone's control," Clarke noted dragging both Luna and Quark back to the bunker. Sure enough the group started chasing them to capture them for their new master.

The trio tried to close the door but were overwhelmed by the mob so they ran towards the rear door hoping to lock themselves in and buy themselves some time to plan an escape. But before they went in, Clarke had an idea and turned to face the charging group.

"Wanheda, what are you doing?" Quark asked with alarm but bracing himself to do the same to defend her.

"What's your plan?" Luna asked also taking a defensive stance.

Clarke drew her gun and aimed it squarely at the hovering drone and shot it down. After doing that, the group stopped and looked confused as to why they were back in the bunker.

"What happened?" Luna asked wondering why they stopped.

"The drone was controlling them," Clarke revealed quickly heading back to the main entrance to see if she could do the same to the remaining drones to free the group from its hold. She was disappointed to see the rest have put distance between them and setup a siege.

"You're right, there is something in here that is valuable," Luna noted. "They've retreated for a reason."

"Let's hope it's too valuable that they won't attack again," Clarke agreed. She still wanted to be prepared for one by looking for anything they could use as weapons.

"I'll take first watch," Quark offered and stood by the door. He noticed that the boy joined him and looked to Clarke for confirmation that it was safe to trust him.

Clarke nodded her approval knowing that the drones were too far away to control those inside the bunker. She just had to figure out a way to keep it that way until they had an escape plan.

"Are you sure we can trust them?" Luna asked remembering how quickly they turned against them.

"For now, yes," Clarke replied knowing if they were sent away, they'd fall under the drone's control and turn against them. She renewed her efforts to learn the bunker's secrets and purpose from anything she could find.

Luna paced while Clarke spent a long time going over the information she had on hand.

"Can you please stop that?" Clarke requested trying hard to focus. She heard her stop but could sense her impatience. "It'll take me some time to figure this out."

"Maybe Lexa's wrong about you," Luna ventured to say.

"What do you mean?" Clarke asked curiously.

"She said you are special," Luna continued. "I don't see it; your hesitation to make a decision is putting people in danger."

"And what would you have me do?" Clarke asked, upset with her. "I'm not about to kill them!" She already conceded when it was suggested they lock those who were inside with them back where they were before.

"But you allow the boy to roam freely," Luna pointed out.

"He's not a threat," Clarke insisted. "It took the three of us to open either door. I don't think he can do that."

Luna saw her point but still worried that Clarke was too trusting. "It's time I relieve Quark."

Clarke watched Luna leave and went back to her task.

.

Clarke fell asleep trying to find answers. She was processing the information in her sleep when she was roused by a commotion in the main hall. She went to investigate.

"I'm here because of Clarke," a familiar voice declared angrily.

Clarke found Luna holding a knife to Bellamy's throat. "Please let him go, Luna!" She looked around and saw Quark just waking up since Luna took over.

Luna slowly let him go eyeing him with distrust. "He was lurking outside; I thought he was one of them."

"What are you doing here?" Clarke asked understanding how easily Luna could mistake him for the enemy.

Bellamy quickly explained how he tracked her down when she didn't show up with Lexa at Becca's place. He figured she was going after Jaha.

"How did you find us?" Clarke wondered knowing he wasn't great at tracking.

"Niylah helped," he revealed. "She's waiting outside just in case there was trouble."

"Get her in here," Clarke said knowing she wasn't safe outside.


	38. Chapter 38

Lexa's recovery became Abby's priority to no one's surprise. They all knew whatever Clarke was doing, she would need Lexa's help somehow.

"Why don't you take a rest?" Octavia offered to relieve her of her vigil.

"What are Raven and Monty doing?" Abby asked hoping they hadn't gone after Bellamy as they first intended.

"They're trying to find a way to interface with Lexa's chip," Octavia replied. "Don't ask me how."

Abby didn't but instead showed Octavia what to watch for and gave instructions to get her if any of them changed drastically.

"Go, rest," Octavia said again pushing her out.

"Maybe I should just stay here," Abby said settling into a nearby couch. "That way it'll be quicker if you need me."

Octavia decided to let her knowing that she'd probably not get rest if she left the room. She watched as Abby tried to fall asleep.

"Do you think she's alright?" Abby wondered out loud.

"She's a fighter; she'll be fine," Octavia said hoping for the best.

"I meant Clarke," Abby clarified.

"Me, too," Octavia confirmed.

.

Clarke could sense her companions' frustration being cooped up in the bunker. She, too, wished they could leave soon having looked in every room that could possibly contain any indication of what made it so important and came up with nothing. She conceded it was just a nuclear shelter with some munitions stored in it to protect those living in it.

"We can't stay here indefinitely," Luna voiced her opinion. "We should try to break through the blockade."

"Do you have a plan?" Bellamy asked overhearing their conversation after his turn as watch.

"How good a shooter are you?" Clarke asked him looking at the rifle in his hands.

"Pretty good," he replied confidently sensing she finally had an escape plan.

"There are fewer drones and people during the day," Clarke said. "We'll make our move then." She noticed the constant pattern and figured that like her, Jaha must have come to the same conclusion that what he was looking for wasn't there and was searching elsewhere.

"How soon can we make our move?" Luna asked.

"We need to wait until the other drones and people are farther away so they can't get back in time to reinforce the blockade," Clarke replied.

"How much time do we have?" Luna asked knowing they were still outnumbered.

"The key is to take out the drones," Clarke said based on the knowledge that without them, the people weren't hostile towards them.

They waited as the blockade thinned out and moved to leave the bunker.

"What about them?" Niylah asked looking back at those still trapped inside.

"We'll come back and cure them," Clarke promised. She knelt down and made the same promise to the boy who was obviously distressed by their impending departure. She was glad when Quark knelt beside her to reinforce her message.

The boy listened as Quark asked him to be brave and watch over the people in the bunker while he and Wanheda made sure it was safe for them to return home.

"We should go now," Bellamy interrupted them.

The group made their way out and Bellamy took aim at the first drone they encountered while the others knocked out their human attackers. They progressed slowly as Bellamy took shots at the remaining drones.

"Don't let that one get away," Luna shouted as one flew higher out of range.

Bellamy aimed and got it just before it was gone so the group felt the worse was over until they noticed that their attackers weren't stopping.

"Why aren't they stopping?" Niylah asked.

"Did we miss one?" Luna asked surveying the sky quickly.

Clarke realized that they waited too long and the programming must have completed making their attackers under full control like the drones. "We're too late, we need to fight back." She pulled out her gun and her companions followed by also arming themselves.

"We're surrounded," Quark stated the obvious as those they've knocked out behind them were regaining their consciousness.

Clarke tried to look for a way out but before the closest attacker could strike a blow, he fell to the ground with an arrow sticking out of his back. Soon they saw a group come charging out and attacking their attackers.

Bolstered by numbers, Clarke's group joined their rescuers in subduing their common adversaries. The two forces worked their way towards each other to form a bigger group.

"I'm glad you came," Clarke said when Roan was next to her. "But how did you know we needed help?"

Roan replied with a quick tilt of his head towards another group of fighters fighting returning attackers. He knew she would recognize who was leading them even at that distance.

Clarke saw Lexa fending off a few warriors with a staff. She worried when one of the attackers struck her staff and broke it in half but was relieved when Lexa used the broken halves as fighting sticks.

Lexa quickly dispatched the remaining attackers before looking up and singling Clarke out among the combatants. She made her way purposely towards Clarke making sure all potential threat was neutralized.

Clarke visually inspected Lexa as she stood before her before hugging her tight. "I'm so glad to see you." She waited for Lexa to reply non-verbally but when she got none, she pulled away to find out what was wrong.

"Are you alright?" Lexa asked before looking around to confirm that her soldiers were setting up a secure perimeter around them. She gave Roan a quick nod before heading towards the bunker with Clarke.

"I'm fine; what about you?" Clarke asked studying her closely worrying that Lexa had come to rescue her before fully recovering herself.

Lexa saw the same concerned look on Clarke that she saw on Abby when she declared that she was going to find Clarke right after she regained consciousness and learned what she was up to from Octavia. "I'm fine, Clarke; didn't I just defend you from your attackers?" She smiled ever so slightly that only Clarke's keen eyes noticed.

"What are they doing?" Bellamy asked watching Lexa's men tie up those they shot only moments ago. His curiosity got the better of him to boldly question Lexa.

"Making sure they are no longer a threat when they wake up," Lexa replied to let Clarke know rather than inform him.

Clarke and Bellamy were both surprised, realizing in hindsight that they didn't get a chance to strike anyone since Lexa's group arrived on scene.

"Abby wanted me to spare as many as I can," Lexa informed Clarke silently not wanting anyone else to hear as people filed out of the bunker and they stood by the door in.

Clarke was pleased not only by Lexa's restraint but that she was still connected with her after all.

.

Lexa listened as Clarke and Luna brought her up to speed on what they've learned so far. She watched as Bellamy hovered nearby. "Is there anything you would like to add?" she asked him.

"We're wasting time here," he complained. "We should leave immediately and get as far away from here and from them as soon as possible." He saw just how many there were and even with Lexa's soldiers, they were outnumbered.

"And where do you think we can go that the drones can't?" Luna asked him guessing correctly what he was wanting to get away from.

"Here," Lexa declared. "We will be safe here." She confirmed by looking around as her men stood up poles that Raven had rigged up to protect them.

Bellamy left in a huff not waiting for Lexa to explain why. He wasn't about to wait around until he saw Octavia come running towards him. "It's not safe here," he warned catching her by her arm.

"Of course it is," she countered and pulled her arm out of his grasp seeing Lexa ahead and eager to give her an update. "Stay within the perimeter; there are more drones heading our way." She paused and had to warn him in return in case he decided to leave the safe zone.

Lexa noticed Octavia and knew the rest would be along soon. "You disobeyed my order; I told you to wait with the others."

"We saw more drones were headed our way," Octavia explained hoping Lexa would ignore her insubordination. "Besides, Abby was starting to wear me down; she was worried for Clarke and those who're under the drones' control."

"We encountered a group of them while looking for you," Lexa explained to Clarke and Luna. She noticed a boy with pale skin march out last in the arms of a woman. She figured out quickly that Clarke had found Kell's family and got confirmation through a nod from her.

"Are you sure they'll be safe out in the open like that?" Clarke asked worrying what it might do to those susceptible to the drones' influence.

"We've managed to keep the drones away," Lexa assured her that it was a tested solution. "And my men will still keep watch."

Clarke was relieved but wanted to discuss her qualm further with Lexa when a soldier came up to inform them that Abby and her group had arrived.

.

Clarke was exhausted when she returned to the bunker where Lexa had stayed to rest. She found her going over the papers she had pored over before. "Didn't I ask you to rest?" She moved to run her fingers across Lexa's jacket. It was obviously something she had picked up recently to replace the one she was wearing.

"How can I without you?" Lexa countered pulling her close. "It suits you." She looked with admiration as Clarke wore her outer vestment quite well.

"Luna doesn't think so," Clarke noted sadly starting to take it off to return it to her.

"She doesn't know you like I do," Lexa pointed out stopping her from removing the garment.

"I think she may be right," Clark self-deprecated. "My mom just gave me an earful, too."

Lexa knew she just needed more time to learn and this was just one of those times. "You should rest."

"Only if you join me," Clarke invited leading her to a nearby couch. She snuggled next to Lexa and drifted off to sleep. She heard her speak in Trigedasleng but was too tired to see who she was addressing.

.

Lexa paced the room trying to determine what was odd about the room. She wondered why the room was askew when the others clearly weren't.

"What are you doing?" Clarke asked having just risen from her restful sleep in days.

"Have you noticed anything about this room?" Lexa asked guessing correctly that Clarke spent the most time in there.

"What do you mean?" Clarke asked looking around realizing she hadn't really paid attention to the room the whole time she was there.

Lexa ran her hand along the wall trying to sense anything different on its smooth surface that might reveal something.

Clarke followed by example but found nothing special either.

Lexa then turned her attention to the shelf opposite them. She began tapping the back until she heard a hollow part. She pried it open to reveal a latch that opened the hidden door. She led the way as they explored where the hallway led. There was a small room to the side but what caught their attention was the rows upon rows of drones in the big chamber before them.

Clarke now knew the importance of the location. She was glad they were the ones to discover it.

"We should destroy them," Lexa declared knowing the danger the drones posed in the wrong hands. She quickly recognized that these were more like the one that attacked her than the ones controlling her people.

Clarke opposed that decision arguing that it wasn't a danger if they kept them inactive and a secret. She also reasoned that it was technology that they couldn't recreate once destroyed. She also thought up many ways they could use it for good.

"Alright," Lexa consented seeing her point. "But we must be certain they stay inoperable and a secret."

Clarke was already thinking of a way to do so with Raven's help. She followed Lexa as they headed back stopping to check what was in the small room.

"What about these?" Lexa asked finding a small arsenal inside.

Clarke lifted what she easily recognized as a bulletproof vest. She immediately offered one to Lexa hoping it would protect her from another gunshot wound.

Lexa refused not knowing its function until Clarke explained it. "There's not enough here for everyone."

"Not everyone will need one," Clarke insisted knowing that Lexa was a prime target. "Besides, you're a bigger target than anyone else."

"You are just as big a target as I am," Lexa pointed out. "And I don't think this will protect us from those armed drones. The important thing is to disable them all."

.

Clarke found Raven tinkering with one of the perimeter devices. "Is something wrong?"

"Just making sure it works," Raven replied turning it back on quickly.

Clarke began asking more questions about how it all worked and how they could possibly extend its range.

"Well, we'll need a very tall tower and place one of these jammers on it," Raven said. "Of course, we'd also need a way to amplify it to widen its range." She could tell Clarke was hatching up a plan in her head.

Clarke pulled Raven towards the bunker trying to remember where she'd seen a nearby tower that they could use. She wanted to deliver a solution straightaway to ease Lexa's mind as well as hers.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Raven ventured to ask as she studied where Clarke wanted to place the jammer.

"It's probably better you didn't know," Clarke replied vaguely. She saw Lexa join them after she conferred with Luna and Roan about their next move.

"Did you tell her?" Lexa asked silently. She gave her latitude to come up with a plan but thought it prudent to remind her to keep their discovery between them. She got a subtle confirmation and listened as Raven explained how the safe zone could be expanded.

Clarke thanked Raven and watched her head out. She could tell that Lexa had her reservations with the plan.

"If we do this, won't it draw more attention to this place?" Lexa pointed out the flaw to her plan.

"Not if we move out first and draw the drones away," Clarke suggested. She could tell that Lexa was pleased with her foresight in the matter. "It'll just look like we are abandoning this place."

"Then you'd pleased to know that we've decided to leave tomorrow," Lexa revealed what she had just discussed with Luna and Roan.

.

Lexa gave the leaders of each group specific instructions before turning to Octavia who was leading the last they had formed in order to divide and conquer the drones still hovering above them. Given that everyone was now free from their influence, the drones have been relegated to only monitor them from afar not wanting to test their abilities to disable or destroy them further.

Octavia confirmed with a nod that she was ready to take on her task and watched Lexa head back to the smaller group that included Clarke, Luna, Roan and their respective guards.

"Why are we breaking up the group?" Bellamy asked realizing what was happening. "Doesn't she know there's safety in numbers?"

Lexa overheard and stopped to make sure he wasn't going to deviate from the plan. "Is there a problem?"

"No, not at all," Octavia quickly assured her. "I got this."

"Clarke will need our help," he insisted.

"She does," Lexa agreed. "She needs you to follow her plan for it to work." She noted his surprise and took advantage. "Do you need her to explain it to you?"

Octavia wondered why Clarke didn't tell them herself but figured she was avoiding her mother who may try to dissuade her from her goal of finding the person controlling the drones.

"I'm just worried for her safety," he declared looking at Clarke's hooded figure prepare to leave atop her horse.

"We will protect her," Lexa assured Abby who had just joined them. She saw her approval before heading off to join the riders waiting for her.

Sure enough as the different groups went their separate ways, the drones also divided themselves to follow each group. After riding a ways away, Lexa's group started splitting up into smaller groups as well until a single drone was left following them.

"Is this where we part ways?" the blonde asked keeping her head covered.

"Yes; take care," Lexa said looking up to locate the drone following them. She leaned to one side of her horse and planted a kiss on the other before nudging her horse to go the opposite direction. She heard the drone follow her as she anticipated and sped up to try and lose it through the woods.

.

Clarke waited for Lexa to return hoping that her plan of deception worked. It was a stab in the dark since they weren't sure if there were more out thee but she was hopeful that there was a limited number of them thus the search for more. She heard someone approach and prepared to fight back.

"Clarke," Lexa called to her directly checking one last time that the area was clear of drones. She was glad to see Clarke emerge from her hiding spot and holding a jammer in her hand.

"Do you think it worked?" Clarke asked wondering if their attempt to draw attention away worked.

"I'm quite certain other drones would be looking elsewhere," Lexa said. "I drew the one that followed me quite far before turning back."

"And whoever was watching is convinced that I'm heading back to Polis?"

"Yes, I think so," Lexa declared. "I made sure it was believable by kissing Niylah before I left her." She reached out her hand to help Clarke onto her horse.

"Wait, what?" Clarke was shocked and pulled her hand away.

"Is it a problem?" Lexa asked innocently. "It's what I would have done if it was really you."

Clarke couldn't argue that and tried hard to hide her displeasure. She got on the horse behind Lexa and tried to focus on the task ahead. She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice they were there until Lexa spoke up.

"Do you want me to come up with you?"

Clarke shook her head and began the climb up the tower without her only to find out at the top that it was a two person operation. She saw Lexa come up behind her and was glad.

"I thought you might need my help," Lexa said quietly. Together they worked to mount the jammer and bring it online. "Is it working?"

"I think so," Clarke said checking their work as best she could. They climbed back down and once on the ground she decided to settle the matter that was bugging her. "I don't want you kissing Niylah again even if she's pretending to be me."

"As you wish," Lexa agreed. "Shall we go now and complete our mission?"


End file.
